U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet
New York Times (09/27/10) P. A1 Charles Savage
Federal law enforcement and national security officials want the U.S. Congress to mandate that all communications-enabling services be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. They say the ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is being hindered as people increasingly favor Internet communications over the phone. The Center for Democracy and Technology's James X. Dempsey says the proposal has huge implications and challenges "fundamental elements of the Internet revolution," including the Web's decentralized design. U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation general counsel Valerie E. Caproni says the proposal is not an expansion of federal authority, but rather "preserving our ability to execute our existing authority in order to protect the public safety and national security." U.S. phone and broadband networks are already required to possess interception capabilities, but existing laws are inapplicable to communications service providers. The proposal is likely to require communications services that encrypt messages have a way to decrypt them; foreign-based providers that do business inside the United States set up a domestic office capable of executing intercepts; and developers of software that enables peer-to-peer communication redesign their service to permit interception.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27wir...
Federal law enforcement and national security officials want the U.S. Congress to mandate that all communications-enabling services be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. They say the ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is being hindered as people increasingly favor Internet communications over the phone. The Center for Democracy and Technology's James X. Dempsey says the proposal has huge implications and challenges "fundamental elements of the Internet revolution," including the Web's decentralized design. U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation general counsel Valerie E. Caproni says the proposal is not an expansion of federal authority, but rather "preserving our ability to execute our existing authority in order to protect the public safety and national security." U.S. phone and broadband networks are already required to possess interception capabilities, but existing laws are inapplicable to communications service providers. The proposal is likely to require communications services that encrypt messages have a way to decrypt them; foreign-based providers that do business inside the United States set up a domestic office capable of executing intercepts; and developers of software that enables peer-to-peer communication redesign their service to permit interception.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27wir...
The report says the Obama administration will introduce this legislation next year. The government continues to attack both civil liberties, and the separation of powers. As well as the Constitution, that is a given.