It has recently been reported that the Department of Justice, headed by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, is pressuring the CEOs of the major Internet service providers to retain logs of their customers online activities. This is something that is already being practiced by the European Union and Gonzales is apparently looking at their data retention paradigm as a model for what he would like to do here.

While there are not yet any laws requiring such retention in the U.S. similar laws have been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court), Congress may soon get into the act and attempt to pass one. Right now, it is basically up to each ISP to determine whether it will comply with this request.

They should all just say no. The whole rationale for such a request is to make it easier of the FBI and other law enforcement officials to catch those who potentially involved in terrorism or child pornography. Such records could provide key evidence in cases against those accused of such activity. However, privacy of the average law-abiding citizen should be of greater concern. This would lay bare far too much of our private information for snoops of all kinds to see.

Would you want people reading your emails? Would you want people knowing what Websites you access from your private computer? Would you want people reading the text of your instant messages? I would answer no to each question and Im sure a majority of Americans would as well. This information could leave you open to lawsuits, termination of employment, divorce, denials of credit, broken friendships and relationships, misunderstandings, etc. As we all have learned the hard way at one time or another during the course of our lives, private matters are private for a good reason.

Contact your ISP and demand that they not only refuse to retain that data, but refrain from collecting it in the first place. Most Americans have more than option for Internet service, so threaten to drop your ISP if they refuse to comply with your demands. If enough of us did this, they would listen.

As far as Congress is concerned, write your senators and congressman and let them know this is still the United States of America and that we have no desire to be like Europe. Demand that they abstain from passing such dangerous legislation.