The U.S. House Judiciary Committeeapproved a measure today that would require Internet-serviceproviders to save subscriber information to aid investigationsof child pornography.
The bill, HR 1981, was approved on a 19-10 vote. It wouldobligate Internet providers to retain customers' InternetProtocol addresses for a year. ISPs "routinely purge theserecords, sometimes just days after they are created,"Representative Lamar Smith , chairman of the committee, said in a statement yesterday.
"Investigators need the assistance of ISPs to identifyusers and distributors of online child pornography," saidSmith, a Texas Republican who co-sponsored the measure withRepresentative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat."This bill ensures that the online footprints of predators arenot erased," he said in a statement after the vote.
The measure, called The Protecting Children from InternetPornographers Act of 2011, has drawn opposition from digital-rights groups that say the data-retention requirement maythreaten consumer privacy and increase the risk of databreaches.
The bill is a "stalking horse for a massive expansion offederal power," Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, saidduring debate before the committee's vote.
"This is China-style law enforcement , treating everyone asa potential suspect and requiring the collection of personalinformation just in case it might later be useful to thegovernment," Greg Nojeim, senior counsel for the Center forDemocracy and Technology, a Washington-based organization thatadvocates for civil liberties, said in an interview.
The bill won early support from the National Center forMissing and Exploited Children and law enforcement groupsincluding the National Sheriffs' Association, according toSmith.
A similar measure was introduced in the Senate on June 30by Orrin Hatch , a Utah Republican. The bill, S. 1308, is co-sponsored by Republican Senators Charles Grassley of Iowa andJeff Sessions of Alabama, and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
The House Judiciary vote is an "important step" in theeffort to fight child pornography, Michael Powell, president ofthe National Cable Telecommunications Association , whichrepresents ISPs including Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) and Time Warner CableInc. (TWC) , said in a statement.
The group will work with lawmakers to seek "furtherclarification that will produce reasonable retention practicesthat can aid law enforcement in stopping crimes againstchildren," Powell said.
To contact the reporter on this story:Eric Engleman in Washington at eengleman1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:Allan Holmes at aholmes25@bloomberg.net
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