The logical extension of this would be to require that every telephone caller be positively identified and a log kept of every telephone call that is placed. If I yet you browse using my iPhone or home computer, will I need to keep a log?

I think most people would consider this to be an unreasonable burden and an invasion of privacy, despite the positive effect it might have on the apprehension of criminals.

If Congress is intent on collecting this information for law enforcement, and I am not saying it is necessarily a bad idea, we should reengineer the Internet to collect this information automatically. Heck, we could all login using our new national identity cards, affirm our allegiance to Big Brother, and communicate safe in the knowledge that someone is watching over us.

While I am not siding with criminals and have generally been supportive of reasonable wiretap laws and other surveillance, what's being proposed here seems at least a little excessive.

David Coursey has been working in and writing about technology for more than 25 years. Contact him at .