SPAIN TO TIGHTEN CONTROL ON MOBILE TELEPHONES.

• Position: Brief Article

The Spanish government intends to impose tighter legal controls on mobile telephone data in the fight against terrorism, according to a report in the Spanish daily El Pais on July 17. Mobile telephone operators could henceforth be required to keep data on all calls made from mobile telephones (time, place and number called) for at least a year. The daily also reported that the Spanish police force has requested the Ministry of the Interior to put an end to the anonymity of a large number of mobile users in Spain who have opted for prepaid accounts. It is known that those responsible for the attacks in Madrid on March 11 (which led to 191 fatalities and left 1,900 people injured) used prepaid mobile telephones to communicate with each other and to activate the explosives hidden in backpacks that were left in commuter trains...