The EU even threatened to shut down all transatlantic data links. Under the agreement, international ISPs are exempt, but U.S. companies that wish to collect data from European users need to tell them why and offer the opportunity to opt out of marketing activities. Given these constraints, Webmasters might want to reconsider their use of individual data. The best option, as DoubleClick has discovered, may be to collect no personal information at all. The government accomplished this, alleges the report, by pushing for key escrow in encryption systems, and by leading Echelon, a global espionage network designed for the Cold War, but now allegedly used to spy on corporations.
European governments can be even more invasive.
France, for example, wants everyone who publishes information on the Web to register their personal information with the government. The law will affect companies and individuals alike, and could even apply to people who simply post to a message board. Those who fail to comply could be jailed for six months and fined m7,000. Internetwork managers who fail to cooperate can be jailed for up to two years. This might seem reasonable, but it applies to all encrypted material, even cookies placed on a hard drive without the user's knowledge.