New Zealand Police Want Operators to Archive SMSs

Police in new Zealand are seeking a change in the law to compel the mobile operators to archive text messages sent through their networks for crime fighting purposes. Vodafone does not currently archive messages, and Telecom has said that it plans to stop storing them by the end of this year.

The move would enable the police to study an "audit trail" of messages sent, even after they have been erased from the mobile phones of the recipients.

Police Association president Greg O'Connor says police have previously been able to go into phone records once they have obtained a search warrant. He says these have been important in helping solve serious crime and it is rare now to have an investigation where there is no texting involved.

He denied that there would be any breach of privacy as the police would still need a court order to access the archived messages.

Police Minister, Annette King said that she is encouraging police to seek a solution with network operators before the Government would look at changing the law.

New Zealanders send some 640 million SMSs per month.

Posted to the site on 9th March 2008