Limit retention of phone records, says watchdog

PHONE companies should not be allowed to keep customers' billing records for up to three years, according to the Data Protection Commissioner.

A garda chief superintendent can currently access anyone's phone records for the last three years if he believes it is needed for a criminal investigation.

This new Traffic Data Bill was first proposed after the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York. Its aim is to give the gardaí greater powers to track terrorists.