WASHINGTON - July 28, 2011 - The House Judiciary Committee approved legislation on Thursday that would require Internet service providers (ISPs) to collect and retain records about Internet users' activities.
CNET reported the bill would require ISPs to retain customers' names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and temporarily-assigned IP addresses for 12 months.
The bill passed by a vote of 19 to 10, and is aimed at helping law enforcement track down pedophiles.
"The bill is mislabeled," said Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), a senior member of the panel. "This is not (about) protecting children from Internet pornography. It's creating a database for everybody in this country for a lot of other purposes."
The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 (H.R.1981) was sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).
“When investigators develop leads that might result in saving a child or apprehending a pedophile, their efforts should not be frustrated because vital records were destroyed simply because there was no requirement to retain them," Smith said Thursday.
"This bill requires ISPs to retain subscriber records, similar to records retained by telephone companies, to aid law enforcement officials in their fight against child sexual exploitation."
