BIGBRO

BIG BROTHER

How much state access to telephone and Internet data is too much? The raging debate takes a new turn as the EU examines an anti-terror proposal that would save data across the board for up to three years.

At a meeting of interior and justice ministers on Thursday, several EU members suggested allowing unprecedented, wide-ranging access to emails and telephone conversations. In an unusual coalition, Great Britain, France, Sweden and Ireland proposed saving the content of all telecommunications traffic for a period of up to three years.

Anti-terror investigators have long been able to trace the details of an individual's Internet use; the same goes for text messages and telephone and cell phone calls. But such tracing can only be done when the service providers save the data -- in most European countries, a sensitive legal topic.

In Germany, data protection law requires telecom and Internet service providers to erase its customers' data after six months at the latest. But security authorities say this is too soon, at least in terms of fighting terrorism and tracking criminal activity. They have long pushed for more general, long-term data storage systems.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNDER WATCH

ORWELL PORTRAYED A WORLD PLAGUED BY CONSTANT SURVEILANCE AND CONTROL BY HIGHER AUTHORITY. ALSO KNOWN AS BIG BROTHER, THIS MAY HAVE BEEN FICTION WHEN 1984 WAS WRITTEN BUT IN TODAYS WORLD BIG BROTHER IS NO LONGER A THOUGHT BUT AN UNDENIABLE REALITY.

50 CENT

FABOLOUS

ENTERTAINMENT AND
BIG BROTHER

IN 1984 IT WAS TABOO TO HAVE THOUGHTS OR DIARIES THAT DIDNT COINCIDE WITH THE BELIEFS OF BIG BROTHER. IN MODERN TIMES THE ART OF HIP HOP MUSIC AND ITS ARTISTS ARE UNDER THE SAME SCRUTINY, ESPECIALLY WHEN FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES GET INVOLVED AND CREATE TASK FORCES TO KEEP FILES AND WATCH OVER THEM.

JA RULE

JOHN LENNON

EXTRA ORWELL

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