Aug. 19, 2005 – A technological freedom advocacy organization has announced it may mount a challenge to a recent ruling that requires Internet service providers to open their systems to law enforcement wiretap efforts.
- Feds Seek to Eavesdrop on Emails of Air Passengers* (Jul 13, 2005)
- FCC Gives Boost to Phone Companies at Consumers? Expense (Aug 8, 2005)
As previously reported by The NewStandard, an August 5 ruling by the Federal Communications Commission requires companies offering broadband internet connections or Internet phone service to create a portal through which federal, state and local law enforcement agencies would be able to snoop customer communications.
In a statement responding to the ruling, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) said the commission ruling "imposes undue burdens on innovation and threatens the privacy of Internet users." The statement noted that the group was looking into filing a court challenge.
According to a federal court study, the use of wiretaps reached an all-time high last year.
Embroiled in the ongoing "war on terror," and with information and identity-theft Internet scams on the rise, federal law enforcement agencies have been pushing to extend the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) of 1994 to new computer technologies for almost two years.
According to the Associated Press, the Department of Justice claims the Internet is replacing analog phone systems as primary communications networks. Last month, TNS reported on an earlier Justice Department demand that airlines provide similar wiretap access before broadband and cellular phone use can be permitted on domestic flights.
In addition to privacy issues, groups opposing the extension of the CALEA to cover new Internet technologies warn that the financial and logistical burdens imposed by requiring backdoor wiretap portals will take money from new research and ultimately cost the public more for less service.
