ITU packet inspection standard raises serious privacy concerns

The United Nations telecommunications standards organization has approved a standard for deep packet inspection (DPI) that raises serious concerns about privacy, the Center for Democracy and Technology said.

That ITU-T is showing an interest in deep packet inspection suggests some governments hope for a world where even encrypted communications may not be safe from prying eyes, according to the CDT. The adoption of the standard -- officially known as "Requirements for Deep Packet Inspection in Next Generation Networks" or "Y.2770" -- happened last week during the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), which is held every four years and defines what the ITU-T should focus on. The biggest concern is that the standard holds very little in reserve when it comes to privacy invasion, wrote CDT.