Call to keep phone and email records

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Details of phone calls and emails should be recorded on a Europe-wide basis to help track down those responsible for atrocities such as last Thursday's attacks in London, the European Union's Commissioner for justice and security said today.

But Franco Frattini proposed retention of the details for a shorter period than the the five years understood to be favoured by Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

Mr Frattini said the appropriate period would be around six months for internet communications and one year for phone calls.

And he said the initiative should be introduced alongside new European data protection legislation, to reassure citizens that their privacy was not being sacrificed.

Mr Frattini told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We should guarantee the full traceability of the movements of terrorists through the stage of phone calls, including unsuccessful phone calls, but of course for the appropriate period of time.

"I think that after tomorrow, the European Council will give the Commission the mandate to find the appropriate solution.

"The Commission will move in parallel to present two initiatives - the first one to guarantee appropriate data retention and the second to guarantee data protection.

"I fully agree with the position and the approach taken by Secretary Charles Clarke. Now we are trying to find the appropriate period of time.

"I think, for example, a period of six months for internet data and about 12 months for phone calls.

"I mean a European standard, because in some member states there are no data retention rules and no data retention possibility at all, and that is a great advantage for terrorists."

 

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