Federal government to keep your internet data

Australians' phone and internet records will be held for two years as part of a federal government crackdown on homegrown terrorism.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's National Security Committee signed off on the controversial new data retention laws in Canberra yesterday after spy agencies warned of an imminent threat on Australian soil, News Corp reported.

Under the edict, which is yet to come before Parliament, telecommunications and internet companies will be required to keep customers' records for at least two years.

The metadata collected, will include background information recorded by devices such as phones, laptops and tablets.

While phone call locations, time and duration will be gathered, the contents of the calls will not be collected.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) chief David Irvine told a Senate committee that compulsory retention of metadata was crucial to intelligence-gathering, saying law-abiding citizens had nothing to fear.

The move comes one month after the UK passed similar data retention laws under the advice of MI6.

It is understood the federal government will seek to approve a bill following a Senate inquiry into intelligence and data collection later this month.

However, interim measures developed by Attorney-General George Brandis and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull together with industry could be introduced as early as September.

Source: News Corp
Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Martin Zavan