A spokesman for Australia Attorney-General Robert McLelland has denied that a controversial data retention policy being considered by his office could result in Web browsing histories being tracked by ISPs, ZDNet reports. When the Attorney-General's Department confirmed Friday that it was examining the European Directive on Data Retention to consider whether it would be beneficial for Australia to adopt similar rules, opponents cautioned the Australian version could extend as far as tracking the Web browsing history of all Australians, the report states. However, Adam Siddique, a media liaison for the Attorney-General's Department, said the plan "is not about Web browser history...It's purely about being able to identify and verify identities online," linking the initiative to the ability for law enforcement to track criminals.
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