Feds eye plan to make Internet snooping easier

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Feds eye plan to make Internet snooping easier
Internet services will be required to help with data interception, report says
By Jaikumar Vijayan

September 27, 2010 03:24 PM ETComments (8)Recommended

(3)FacebookTwitterShare.Computerworld - The Obama Administration is reportedly considering a statute that would make it easier for federal authorities to intercept communications over services such as Facebook, Skype and BlackBerry -- an idea that's stoking anxiety within the privacy community.

The measure would force Internet companies that provide communications services to add in capabilities allowing federal authorities to intercept any messages on their networks, and to unscramble encrypted ones, the New York Times reported today.

The idea is being driven by law enforcement authorities worried that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is being eroded as more communications take place online rather than by phone.

A bill outlining the requirements could go to lawmakers sometime next year, the Times said.

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More in Privacy Center Under the existing Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), telecommunications providers are already required to provide interception capabilities to federal law enforcement officials. The new proposals would extend that capability to the Internet.

The growing use of peer-to-peer services such as Skype and encrypted e-mail services on Research In Motion (RIM)'s BlackBerry is making it harder for federal authorities to pursue criminal suspects on the Internet, the newspaper reported.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a Computerworld request for comment.

Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington, said that any mandate requiring Internet companies to enable federal wiretapping is a very bad idea.

"It's an outrageous plan for a variety of reasons," Rotenberg said. Since CALEA went into effect, law enforcement authorities have steadily assumed new surveillance capabilities through new laws and technologies, he said.

Tools such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and National Security Letters (NSL), for instance, have already greatly broadened federal authority to intercept communications. At the same time, the standards for issuing warrants for wiretaps have also been lowered in recent years, Rotenberg said.

"We no longer have the checks and balances that existed 12 to 15 years ago," he said. Any attempt to further expand federal authority into the Internet realm is a "frightening prospect."

But Ira Winkler, president of the Internet Security Advisors Group and a Computerworld columnist, said that many privacy concerns are overstated. What the U.S. is seeking to do is something that other countries have been doing as well, he said. "There's nothing outrageous about the U.S. [authorities] saying they want to have the ability to enforce their laws."

Rather than being worried about government's ability to intercept communications for legitimate law enforcement purposes, the real concern should be over continued compromise of personal data online, he said. "Where's the outrage when Facebook and others allow themselves to get hacked into" and personal data gets into the hands of criminals, he said. "I am more concerned about criminals than about the abuse potential by the U.S. government."

News of the proposed regulations in the U.S highlights the growing anxiety among governments about the use of online communication services and encrypted e-mail as the main channel for all sorts of communications.

The governments in India, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are already in a running battle with RIM over the company's BlackBerry service. Both have asked RIM to either disable its service in their countries or to provide a way for law enforcement authorities to intercept and read encrypted BlackBerry communications.

Jaikumar Vijayan covers data security and privacy issues, financial services security and e-voting for Computerworld. Follow Jaikumar on Twitter at @jaivijayan or subscribe to Jaikumar's RSS feed . His e-mail address is jvijayan@computerworld.com.

Read more about Privacy in Computerworld's Privacy Topic Center.

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Search Tweets U.S. Tries to Make It Easier to # wiretap the Internet http://eff.org/r.r8E

eff5 hours ago50retweetreply.White House Wants to wiretap Internet Communications: http://is.gd/fwce5

alternet3 hours ago10retweetreply.Feds Frustrated With Their Inability to wiretap This Here New-Fangled Internet Thing http://ow.ly/2KxLy

reasonmag2 hours ago14retweetreply.Feds Pushing For New Legally Required wiretap Backdoor To All Internet Communications http://dlvr.it/61xjh

techdirt2 hours ago6retweetreply.Obama wants to wiretap your internet http://tinyurl.com/26mdo6o #tech #fail #news #tcot #vote

creepingsharia4 hours ago7retweetreply.RT @TweetSmarter: U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to wiretap the Internet [NYTimes] http://j.mp/axTE9p

xtymiller3 hours ago11retweetreply.U.S. Wants To wiretap Your Internet...Again http://ow.ly/19byQc

roc4life1 hour ago3retweetreply.U.S. Looking to Ease Internet wiretap Laws, Report Says http://bit.ly/cErq8V

pcmag4 hours ago1retweetreply.Thank you @Thom_Hartmann for covering http://bit.ly/bsqKKG Internet wiretap story.

gottalaff4 hours ago1retweetreply.Ready for Facebook, Skype wiretap ? - http://bit.ly/9a0LJb

techwatching3 hours ago0retweetreply.Load More
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What People Are Saying8 comments | Add new . What People Are Saying
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Rate this
Rated -8

8 VotesAlthough I do not generally
Submitted by Barry on September 27, 2010 - 16:14.

Although I do not generally agree, I see that the latest 'allowance' to enable other countries to have access to Blackberry information kinda levels the fields.

How many here believe that China or Saudi Arabia and the like governments don't already have full access?

Level the field.

IMHO


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.Rate this
Rated +7
7 VotesA good idea ... as long as
Submitted by Anonymous on September 27, 2010 - 18:04.

This is a very good idea ... as long as
President Obama, the Police and all other authorities reciprocate and give us access to their communications!


Report this comment
.Rate this
Rated +8
8 VotesGNU Telephony Statement on new Internet Surveillance Laws
Submitted by David Sugar on September 27, 2010 - 16:42.

Speaking on behalf of the GNU Telephony project, we do intend to openly defy such a law should it actually come to pass, so I want to be very clear on this statement....Read the entire comment


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