June 25, 2007

Google Threatens To Shutter German Gmail Over Proposed Data Retention Law

In a showdown with the German government, Google, Inc. has threatened to shut down its popular e-mail service in Germany if a planned telecommunications law goes into effect unchanged -- a law Google's chief data-protection advisor has called a "heavy blow against the private sphere." The law is Germany's interpretation of EU data-retention rules. If passed later this year by German parliament -- by no means a sure bet -- it would require all telecommunications companies to collect and keep private information on their German customers starting in 2008. To help with criminal surveillance the government wants the connection data of any German citizen -- including Internet details, phone call information, and text messages -- saved for 6 months. Anonymous data would be unacceptable.

Privacy Spat Could Shut German Gmail, BusinessWeek, June 25, 2007.