EU Split Over Anti-Terror Phone Rules

The European Union is again revisiting a proposal to require telecommunications companies to log phone and Internet usage to help fight terrorism. The law was proposed by the European Commission in the wake of the London bombings, however some say the proposal would take too long to enact.

A separate deal has been proposed by Britain, which has the support of Ireland, France and Sweden. This deal would bypass the EU Commission and Parliament to allow the separate countries to pass the law themselves. This approach is expected to be much quicker than the three years it could take for the Commission's policy.

Under the proposals, actual content would not be recorded; however, the number dialed and Internet address accessed would be. The British proposal would call for this data to be saved for one year, while the Commission proposal would save it for a period of six months to a year.

In any case, there seems to be a sense of urgency in getting some type of law enacted. "We have to make a choice. The European Union has to choose the instrument it goes for," European Commission spokesman Friso Roscam-Abbing said.

A special meeting was called to discuss the proposals as well as other anti-terrorism issues after Thursday's terrorist attacks. That meeting will take place Tuesday.