Vast majority of Aussie internet firms unprepared for "complicated" data collection: survey

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Australia's Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are not adequately prepared to start collected and storing metadata, despite laws coming into effect on Tuesday.

ISPs were given six months to develop a plan to record their customers' metadata, data stemming from personal use of the Internet and mobile phones, but 84 percent have revealed they were behind schedule and will not be recording the information from the first day.

The figures come from a survey handed out to ISPs by telecommunications lobby group Communications Alliance.

According to the survey, two thirds of the Australian ISPs are unclear about what records the government wants them to retain.

"The government's claim that what they're asking for is retention of the status quo has never been correct," chief executive of Communications Alliance John Stanton told the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) on Tuesday.

"The vast majority (of ISPS) are saying: 'We're trying, but we' re not there yet'."

Metadata retention has been ruled unconstitutional in several countries but the scheme has been pushed through parliament as a way of gathering invaluable intelligence on those suspected of committing a crime.

The ISPs must start recording the metadata from Oct. 13, unless given an extension by the department of the Attorney General after submitting a Data Retention Implementation Plan (DRIP).

The extension provides a further 18 months for ISPs before they must comply.

However, the survey revealed that while 81 percent of ISPs had put forward a DRIP, only 10 percent had received approval to date.

Internet Australia Laurie Patton told the ABC an early review of the Act was needed.

"Nobody is anywhere near ready," Patton said.

"It's such a complicated and fundamentally flawed piece of legislation that there are hundreds of ISPs out there that are still struggling to understand what they've got to do.

"Let's make it much more easily understood and help everybody to comply." Endi

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