Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 09:47:50 -0500 From: "Jon R. Kibler" <Jon.Kibler@aset.com>

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Date: Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:14:23 -0800 From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>

I've posted the text here: http://www.politechbot.com/docs/markey.data.deletion.bill.020806.pdf

A summary is here: http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6036951.html "A bill just announced in Congress would require every Web site operator to delete information about visitors, including e-mail addresses, if the data is no longer required for a "legitimate" business purpose.

An open question is whether Rep. Ed Markey's bill would require that Internet addresses be deleted by default from Apache and other web server logs. One reading is that it would be. But it's not clear whether an IP address falls under the definition of personal information.

This bill applies to anyone running a web site, including individuals and bloggers. So it's not just companies that have to worry.

Original posting from Declan McCullagh's PoliTech mailing list. Thought NANOGers would be interested since, if this bill passes, it would impact almost all of us. Just imagine the impact on security of not being able to login IP address and referring page of all web server connections!

Jon: The proposed bill states to delete when data is no longer required for "legitimate" business purposes. If you business model requires that you keep the logs for some "tracking" function, then keep them. As long as the logs are required for business purposes. Once the business purpose finishes, then delete them. How is this different that the way we operate now? Except that, if the bill passes, then - possible/probably - our "privacy policy" (such as they are) will have to state the business purposes... IANAL, but my $0.002 worth. Regards, Gregory Hicks ------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Hicks | Principal Systems Engineer Cadence Design Systems | Direct: 408.576.3609 555 River Oaks Pkwy M/S 6B1 San Jose, CA 95134 I am perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes. I will surely learn a great deal today. "A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the results of the decision." - Benjamin Franklin "The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." --Alexander Hamilton