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Service Provider Changes Policy to Keep Online Records

U.S cable operator Comcast Corp. decided to change its policy in order to help law enforcement. New regulations state that online records will be kept for a longer period and that the company will store web address records for 180 days, instead 31 under the current policy. The announcement was made by Comcast Vice President Gerard Lewis at a House of Representatives hearing.

"We are confident that this policy will enable Comcast to become more responsive to valid law enforcement requests for IP address information," Lewis said in a statement before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on combating online child pornography. The new 180 days policy will become affective starting September 1st.

Lewis shed some light on the whole issue and said that address monitoring and records retention policies were key topic in discussions between Internet providers and U.S. authorities on how to enhance child pornography investigations. The freedom that the internet is so famous for is becoming regulated and most internet service providers are taking the same approach. With growing pressure by legislators, we might see the internet changing rapidly and drastically in upcoming years.