I posted about Qwest calling for data retention laws yesterday, but the company is now saying that the comments were a mistake and it is actually skeptical of the mandates by Congress.
In an interview with CNET News.com, Jennifer Mardosz, Qwest's corporate counsel and chief privacy officer, said that she misspoke during a panel discussion organized by the Progress and Freedom Foundation in Aspen, Colo. "I just completely misspoke there," Mardosz said. During the panel discussion, she said Qwest "absolutely" supports House of Representatives legislation sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette mandating data retention—a requirement that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said will aid in terrorism and child exploitation investigations. "I associated (DeGette's) name with the female Colorado legislator that introduced the state legislation," Mardosz said. "That was just a pure and honest mistake that I made."
Qwest's revised position is more in sync with other telecommunications companies, which say they are already required by law to cooperate with criminal investigations and have been generally skeptical of broad, new mandates.
For more information on Qwest's turnabout, read the CNET News.com article Qwest on data retention laws: Oops.
