Casper Bowden, director of FIPR, described the statements as
“hysterical” and Tony Bunyan, editor of Statewatch, accused the
NCIS of “scaremongering,” according to a report by ZDNet.
At a press conference on Thursday, the NCIS called for expansion
of the scope of electronic data retention in EU law. According to
ZDNet, the NCIS argued that current EU proposals to delete all
records of on-line transactions once a web session ends will have
an adverse effect on the ability of law enforcement agencies to
detect and investigate on-line crime.
The NCIS argues that the Council’s proposed amendment restricts
its powers; the privacy groups argue that the NCIS is claiming a
loss of powers it does not actually have.
The NCIS and its European counterparts have previously called
for draconian data retention powers. These requests have been
publicly opposed by the UK Home Office, the European Commission and
also the EU’s Data Protection Working Party.
