Some ISPs Still Dodging Data Retention Requests, Help 27B Get the 411 AGAIN

What does your ISP know about who you are and how you use the web? How long do they store your information and do they sell it? Following some stories from a few weeks ago, 27B tried to find out what top American ISPs' policies are, and when that largely failed (except for the notable exceptions of AOL and Cox. Thanks!), 27B turned to readers, who found out some good information.

But there are still holes in our spreadsheet and we're not stopping until ISPs tell us and their customers what they do with this information.I've heard from one well-connected person that ISPs are wary of these questions because for the last 9 months or so, they've been fighting a lonely battle against the Justice Department, which wants ISPs and companies like Google to hang onto information longer. But now that they aren't facing that pressure given that Attorney General Gonzales is fighting for his political life, they just don't want to talk about it.

To which 27B can only say, the battle is lonely because you are secretive. Let your paying customers and the media know your data practices and tell us when the Justice Department pulls you in a room and threatens you with mandatory data retention. You might just have more allies than you know.

Contact information for the rogue ISPs and a spreadsheet tally are after the jump. Remember WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. The suggested musical accompaniment for all involved: Kelley Stoltz's stellar tune The Sun Comes Through the Window, which features the refrain, "The sun pours through the window/ and it's alright."

The ones that are dodging their users and this reporter: Comcast, Earthlink, Verizon, Time Warner Road Runner, and United Online (NetZero). Speakeasy provided detailed information to a user and their PR spokeswoman promised to get official answers soon. A Charter spokeswoman promises the same. Qwest and AT&T have yet to respond to follow-ups emails to clarify their answers (I'll work this angle till I totally deadend then I'll ask for reader help).

Comcast: Email 1-800-266-2278

Earthlink: Email DSL 888-829-8466 Dial-Up 888-327-8454

Verizon: Email 800-567-6789

Time Warner Road Runner: Online

United Online: NetZero Juno

The questions are below and feel free to call or email. Drop your results in the comments or email ryan SHIFT2 ryansingel.net.

What kind of information does ISP NAME collect on its customers' Internet use?

How long does ISP NAME store data on its subscribers' internet usage?

What are the policies for storing clickstream data? What about e-mail and instant message usage? FTP or bittorrent usage?

How long are logs of what IP addresses were assigned to which customer kept?

What data security precautions protect the information ISP NAME collects?

Does ISP NAME sell internet usage data? What kind of data? If so, how is it anonymized and to whom do you sell it? What language in your privacy policy discloses this?

If not, what portions, if any, of your privacy policy specifically prohibit this?

Has ISP NAME been contacted or in communication with the Justice Department about data retention?

Congress may contemplate mandatory data retention rules for ISPs and other large internet companies. What is ISP NAME's position on such legislation and is the company lobbying Congress on this issue?

Does ISP NAME require federal, state and local agencies to provide subpoenas, court orders, or national security letters to get data from ISP NAME, or does company policy allow law enforcement and other government agencies to get data based only on a request?

Photo: Audreyjm529