Re: UK ISPs not cooperating with law enforcement

["Steven M. Bellovin" <smb () research att com>]

In message <NFBBJLNCOLKBLIJLHFIGMEEECEAA.mborchers () igillc com>, "Mark Borchers"
 writes:
> > It difficult to tell from the article whether UK ISPs are refusing to
> > cooperate with lawful requests from UK police, or if UK police are
> > trying to get ISPs to give information without proper authorization.
> >
> > http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/article.asp?liArticleID=119873
>
> It's difficult to argue with the premise that "it was in the interests of
> ISPs to co-operate in investigations against hackers and virus writers".
>
> I can recall posts to this list bemoaning the fact that the FBI was slow
> or unwilling to launch cybercrime investigations not tied espionage, 
> terrorism, or other good, old-fashioned crime.
I haven't checked the law since the Patriot Act was passed.  Prior to 
that, however, in the U.S. the law *prohibited* communications carriers 
from giving certain information to the government without a warrant -- 
but they were free to give it or sell it to anyone else.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/2703.html see (c)(1)(A)


                --Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb (me)
                http://www.wilyhacker.com (2nd edition of "Firewalls" book)