Australia's metadata retention scheme costs telcos $500k per cuffing

The Australian Government's telecommunications data retention scheme is racking up the bills for carriers, but government funding has fallen short of the industry's costs. That's one of the conclusions of the first [PDF] telecommunications interception report since the scheme began, tabled in Federal Parliament yesterday. …

[veti]

Is there any insight into how much of that $200 million is related to the ridiculous number of requests?

I have no sympathy if the industry agreed to take $128 million and has only now discovered that wasn't enough. Serve them right for screwing up their estimating. But if the government initially said "Reckon on about 10,000 requests per year", or something to that effect - that's a different kettle of ball games.

Really, the obvious solution is to allow - nay, require - ISPs to charge a processing fee per request (where "a request" is defined as applying to one account/user). That would dis-incentivise agencies from huge trawling expeditions.

[czthomas]

Yes, they know how many requests are made every year, and in fact 2016-2017 had about 10% fewer than the previous year.

These kinds of requests have been the norm since the 1979 Telecomms Act, so the only ISPs having trouble are the ones who weren't keeping proper records in the first place, which is why the Labor government had to have this updated legislation drawn up.

There is no "huge trawling expeditions". They are targeted requests.

[FozzyBear]

Really, the obvious solution is to allow - nay, require - ISPs to charge a processing fee per request

This is already in place. Policing agencies can request CCR (Call Charge Records) and RCCR (reverse Call Charge Records) from any Telco. This information provides for each number who, when and where they called or in the reverse who called them. Most telco's have this information on hand going back about 2 years. Depending on the number of Individual numbers and length of time these requests can cost a bomb.

And that is the point the policing agencies already have access to this information and have so for decades. It isn't to ensure they have access to information they need for investigations or ongoing intelligence operations. This new legalisation is just another excuse tramp up the fear.

[JJKing]

What a waste of money.

This, like their present mess(es) Kiwi joyce, the nbn, concentration camps, super ministries, same sex marriage postal vote and pigheaded support for Adani/coal, is unbelievable. Why don't people just get a good VPN and screwup the metadata about themselves. Ok, this connection doesn't go via my VPN but if I was doing anything nefarious then it would.

At the cost per cuffing, this is a abysmal rate of return.

[czthomas]

Re: What a waste of money.

A VPN doesn't make one jot of difference to the data retained under the Data Retention Act.

On the other hand, it does expose your connection details and internet activity to whoever runs and who ever has access to the servers that provide the VPN service.