U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet

Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone.

Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications — including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct “peer to peer” messaging like Skype — to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. The mandate would include being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.

New York Times - U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet

Law enforcement and national security officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications -- including BlackBerry, Facebook and Skype -- to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order, the Times reports. The mandate would include being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.

The Obama administration plans to submit the bill to Congress next year, and because security services around the world face the same problem, it could set an example that is copied globally, the Times reports.

L.A. Times - Feds Want Broader Internet Wiretap Authority

I know that this thread is probably going to draw a lot of "Big Brother is upon us" folks, but I think it's important to recognize the real situation here.

Basically, the Obama administration wants online service providers such as Facebook and Skype to develop backdoors into their software which allow the government, with a warrant, to access encrypted communications.

I'm concerned about this, mostly because I like my privacy, and I feel like any service with a built-in backdoor is going to invite malicious misuse. More importantly, all this is going to do is invite people who don't want to be spied on to use either foreign-developed or FLOSS (free/libre/open source software) that allows for encrypted communication and which doesn't have any legally-obligated central provider to develop backdoors for, which I suspect many of them do already.
At the end of the day, this just means that the government will have an easier time spying on everyday people while the real criminals continue to go unobserved.

Change you can shove up your...


This country is getting worse and worse every day.

Anyone that still belives in the two party system just isn't paying attention. The new boss is the same as the old.

They can already do this, just look at Echelon, Carnivore, Magic Lantern...

All this recent press and media regarding the Government wanting extra net surveillance capabilities is in my opinion a simple cover up in case the extent of their existing technology somehow gets rumbled and exposed to the public.

Wasn't this already implemented once by way of CALEA? Back in the '90s?

In the years since CALEA was passed it has been greatly expanded to include all VoIP and broadband internet traffic. From 2004 to 2007 there was a 62 percent growth in the number of wiretaps performed under CALEA -- and more than 3,000 percent growth in interception of internet data such as email.[

Source

I spent the last several years of my life as a systems admin for a major company. I know that in that time I didn't implement a single thing differently. All the intercept capability was implemented on the major telco carriers' end. Maybe this is a push for some special config on the customer side?

All I know at this point is that agencies can and do already have access to all info, data and otherwise, passing through any common carrier.

That being said, the more you get the word out about this, the more informed people can become. I am always surprised how many just have zero clue or refuse to believe that all of their online actions can be and are monitored so closely!

Thanks for the thread

reply to post by pr3l33t

U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet

I think it is critically important to first recognize that this is not just a partisan political agenda. In other words, the same folks who opposed Bush's attempts to wiretap phone calls, should be equally outraged by this.

Unfortunately, our nation has been so trained to react politically to red or blue issues, chances are this will only elicit half the response it should. Obama supporters will equate opposition to this move as a stand against their preferred leadership... so, while they may not openly support the rape of internet privacy, they will not speak openly against it.

A house divided will not stand... and make no mistake, we ARE a house divided from both sides. What's even more disheartening is that we are contentedly self-opposed... we are happy to play the part of the partisan gladiator ready to die for emperor and political empire.

If this nation were to leave the political games behind and get beyond thinking that fully half of the electorate was their dreaded foes, we might be able to hold on to our freedoms. But as it stands right now, we will all lose it all.

We will be unable... or unwilling to stand together to save it.

This makes me sick and should make every American sick. The Progressives are pushing for a Socialist agenda and the people are just gobbling it all up and no one in Congress votes on behalf of the represented American populace these days. I smell decay of the American government that will soon motivate the states to break away from her... She is such a harlot.

No matter which way you twist it, this is not good. You speak of warrants? Warrants? We live in a country where, if your suspected to be a terrorist or even a terrorist threat, you could be assassinated. We live in a country where if you are vocal in disagreeing with your government or suspect conspiracies, you are considered 'potential terrorists'. Don't take my word for it;
Assasinating American Citizens
Conspiracy Theorists Potential Terrorists

The worst part is that the spinelessness of Americans citizens will allow this to keep happening. Much of the American people are more concerned about the safety of their path between their office chair and their couch at home, that they have forgotten what freedom is and have lost true American patriotism and pride. I don't know about Big Brother or other things, but I do know that more and more, government is expanding further and further beyond it's original capacity to protect the American citizens. Am I the only one who believes in their heart and thinks in their mind 'American freedom is more important than American safety. I would rather be in considerable danger much of the time than for this country to lose all it was created and is meant to be' ?

Mr. Dalton

Since when did Bush get a third term?

I swear , the longer Obama is in office the more he reminds me of our last fearless leader...

Those that are willing to trade security for freedom deserve neither.

What were we talking about again?

It is always about control, ask Dingell.

Always wondered if they use the information they glean from all the surveillance to "control" our representatives.

Naaahhh, what was I thinking.

I just read this before finding the thread here. The federal governments already mines data from all internet traffic, at least for intelligence purposes and now they want to allow the "police" or law enforcement to do the same. What is it going to take for Americans to realize that we have become a police state? We already allow "the state" into almost every aspect of our lives, we give law enforcement sweeping powers to violate our civil rights and we have more people incarcerated than the USSR did at the height of their power.

Where did we forget that one of the pillars of American society was liberty? What about freedom and justice? Have we redefined those words or have we just lost the value of their meanings?

When "the state" has control over the people, as opposed to the people over "the state", freedom is no longer a reality and instead you have authoritarianism. Is our freedom and liberty really so worthless that we are willing to hand it over for a little percieved security... security that isn't realized anyway? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the only entity who values your security is yourself and when you delegate that security over to "the state", you are basically forfitting not only your liberties and principals of life, but also your security itself.

"Whoever shall trade a little liberty for a little security, deserves neither and will lose both" --Ben Franklin


--airspoon

reply to post by pr3l33t


this would be raising a bigger stink if bush was doing it and agian the "assasination" of american citziens would be raising a bigger stink if agian bush did that to but since its obama most of the masses just simply think obama can do no wrong which is not the case.

if people on this sites and other sites know we all are already in the government system simply by posting on here.


is this a travesity of american justice yes noone can deny it will it ever be stopped no just like the patriot act wasnt.

if you are serious for one second about your privacy one iota- stop using the tools they can track you with

close out your banks accounts, pay cash for your vehicles, and homes and cutup your credit cards take your self completely out of the system and this includes not ever using the internet agian.

bin ladens successful evasion from us authorites have been due for the simply fact he doesnt use any modern day convienience at all.

nothing and noone can stop this simple fact you thought obama thought about that constitution he doesnt and if he did this would not even been trying to be done.

The really sad thing is that had this been done 3+ years ago, this thread would be 20 pages long already. Just goes to show how many hypocrites we have here.

Originally posted by Death_Kron
They can already do this, just look at Echelon, Carnivore, Magic Lantern...

All this recent press and media regarding the Government wanting extra net surveillance capabilities is in my opinion a simple cover up in case the extent of their existing technology somehow gets rumbled and exposed to the public.

Yes all they are trying to do here are to pass laws so they can use more of what they already get anyway.

Originally posted by Mr. Dalton
No matter which way you twist it, this is not good. You speak of warrants? Warrants? We live in a country where, if your suspected to be a terrorist or even a terrorist threat, you could be assassinated.

This looks like an way of planting fear into folks out there planning an attack. The idea that they could do something and then still have rights ect is replaced with the idea that they dont have to take you in or even wait for you to pull something. That will keep them wound up and on edge all the time. May get a round to the back of the head rather than 3 hots and a cot and free public defender.

As far as phones, land lines, they have been uesing taps for years to gain info on cases or just about anything. They cant use it in court but they never intended to.

I've spoken with some high level Govt officials with NSA, DHS, FBI and DOJ pertaining to this very item and the information provided comes directly from them and can be taken to the bank.

The United States Federal Government's Official Stance pertaining to the Internet and the content of the world wide web is that as long as there is no issue that is containable by any group of Mods and Admins of any website anywhere under the legal jurisdiction of The 43 States, 7 Commonwealths, 7 Territories that comprise of The United States Of America the promise to the people is that as long as it is containable and does not present itself to be a threat to either the operation, management and organization of the Govt that the United States will not intervene upon any internet webiste anywhere under it's direct jurisdiction only if said website promotes child pornography, religious extremitism, racial hate propaganda, murder for hire, criminal activity, the avaliblity of downloadable copyrighted material (music, movies, tv), anti Govt actions can Govt get involved and pass laws restricting and forbidding some from accessing the internet if they are an immediate danger to not only themselves but to others as well. However a recent expansion to The 1st Amendment was that everyone has the right to accurate and free information and right to use the internet as that was recently added to The Constitution so that it can co exist in this new digital age as only a jury of one's peers can amend this to prohibit a person from accessing the internet.

In short, if you are able to keep your webiste in cheque in accordance with all laws that the Govt will not come knocking down your site's front door as Govt is better equipped to chase down threats against the nation herself then to spend precious and valuable resources policing websites.. Only if it threatens either the social structure, Govt structure or other nations itself the Govt will intervene. This protocol and policy is the policy currently pertaining to matters like this. Basically if your website spirals out of your control the Govt can step in to restore order but would rather leave it to the individual sites to set, enforce and police thier own websites and allows each to introduce, adopt, modify and amend it's own terms of service orders and reserves full authourity to decree punishments however it sees fit. The site owner however must comply with any and all requests made to it by any law enforcement agency on the planet and orders the website itself to surrender any user activity history as well to law enforcement.

This section of the ATS Terms & Condtions specifies exactly what I'm reffering to :

.6a) Disclosure: The Above Network, LLC also reserves the right to disclose any known personal information when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to conform to the law or comply with a legal process served on The Above Network, LLC, protect and defend the rights or property of the The Above Network, LLC domains, or visitors to these domains, identify persons who may be violating the law, the legal notice, or the rights of third parties, and cooperate with the investigations of purported unlawful activities.

Originally posted by Logarock
Yes all they are trying to do here are to pass laws so they can use more of what they already get anyway.

I honestly believe that's the case.

Originally posted by TheImmaculateD1
...The 43 States, 7 Commonwealths, 7 Territories that comprise of The United States Of America...

If theres only 43 states why are we letting the others be represented in Congress of the United... States.

Originally posted by mryanbrown

Originally posted by TheImmaculateD1
...The 43 States, 7 Commonwealths, 7 Territories that comprise of The United States Of America...

If theres only 43 states why are we letting the others be represented in Congress of the United... States.

Commonwealths in referrence to this is that Commonwealths have all the authourity the States do and are included in the 10th Amendment provision pertaining to "States rights shall not be enumerated". A Commonwealth retains all authourties guaranteed to the States.

reply to post by TheImmaculateD1


The amendment states commonwealths may join the united states? I'm confused by what you mean.