The report by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority has spurred a barrage of criticism from some quarters, but ISPs are cagey about their plans if the report's recommendation of recording users' online access patterns ever comes to fruition. User logs could be used as evidence by law enforcement agencies.
"It's our policy not to monitor content...Privacy is the absolute paramount consideration to us," Telstra spokesperson Stuart Gray told ZDNet Australia.
However, Gray said that Telstra, which is 51 percent owned by the government, would comply with the recommendation if it was enforced.
Gray described the size of the job of keeping track of that information as -mind-blowing" and requiring a -massive database".
-When you've got so much ordinary, everyday traffic it seems the wrong way of going about catching a minority," he admitted.
Dingo Blue would only say: -the facility [to monitor user activity] is there and if we're required to or asked to we can".
OzEmail seemed more protective of its customers' privacy, saying it would be -happy to cooperate with law enforcement agencies as long as we are still fulfilling our primary obligation of protecting our customers privacy as set out in the Telecommunications Act".
-It is essential that Internet users trust that their ISP will be absolutely vigilant in regards to their personal information," privacy officer David Bathur said.
Optus@Home said the concept would be -difficult to implement" and an -HR nightmare" but didn't comment on the stance it would take to defend its customers' privacy at the end of the day.
Service provider AOL was just as evasive, saying it would work with the government and the Internet Industry Association to -determine the best outcome" for all users.
Security specialist Glenn Miller sees the keeping of access logs by ISPs as -covert spying" -- engaging people who are not law enforcers.
There is the general belief that if you've got nothing to hide, then there's nothing to worry about, Miller said, -but there's no guarantee that the people who have access to the information (ISPs) will use it properly".
Although Miller agreed that there had to be ways to control criminal behaviour, he said there are ways to -execute it".
-It's like Nazi Germany in 1938...I don't want to live in an environment that does that," Miller said. -It's so anti-democratic it's not funny.
The Australian Consumers Association (ACA) said it had -an issue" with the parliamentary recommendation that ISPs maintain access logs.
"The question is if it can be done, should it be done," ACA policy officer IT and communications Charles Britton said.
According to Britton, if law enforcement agencies are interested in a person they should get a warrant and exercise judicial law, the ACA would likely oppose the recommendation becoming law.
"This is the point where we need to draw the line," Britton added.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it had no comment to make at this stage about the report's recommendation or whether it would oppose the regulation of ISP access logs.
Commercial data mining under the pretence of observing the activities of the customers for "the benefit of society", might be one way the acquired info could be misused.
"Dingo Blue would only say: “the facility [to monitor user activity] is there and if we’re required to or asked to we can”.
Well, I just make a mental note to boycott Dingo Blue in the future for encouraging data mining.