IP: Easy Listening (for Big Brother)

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 18:06:48 -0600
> To: Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
> From: Brett Glass <brett () lariat org>
> Subject: Easy Listening (for Big Brother)
>
> EDITORIAL: The opinion of the Mercury News
>
> EASY LISTENING: Government must rewrite cell phone eavesdropping rules to 
> provide judicial oversight and incorporate privacy concerns
>
> SIX years ago, Congress approved a bill to help law enforcement keep pace 
> with the digital world. The purpose was straightforward: Make sure that 
> the FBI and police hold onto the same kind of wiretapping capabilities 
> they had before cellular phones complicated electronic surveillance.
>
> Skip ahead to this month.
>
> Within weeks, the government will have new powers to eavesdrop on you that 
> go beyond maintaining the status quo. That's when the first set of 
> defective rules crafted by the Federal Communications Commission is 
> scheduled to be implemented. Others take effect next year.
>
> The rules need to be revised. If not, law enforcement agencies will be 
> able to follow and monitor cellular phone users in ways that Congress 
> never envisioned. Here's one example: Investigators will be able to track 
> the physical locations of cellular phone users, pinpointing your 
> whereabouts at the beginning and end of every call. In essence, wireless 
> phone systems will be transformed into giant tracking networks....
>
> http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/opinion/edit/CELLPHONES.htm