FBI, Justice Dept. seek wiretaps for VoIP conversations [priv]

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
X-URL: http://www.mccullagh.org/
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2004 14:25:05 -0600
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>


http://news.com.com/2100-7352-5137344.html

Feds seek wiretap access via VoIP
Last modified: January 8, 2004, 7:42 AM PST
By Declan McCullagh

The FBI and the Justice Department have renewed their efforts to
wiretap voice conversations carried across the Internet.

The agencies have asked the Federal Communications Commission to order
companies offering voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service to
rewire their networks to guarantee police the ability to eavesdrop on
subscribers' conversations.

Without such mandatory rules, the two agencies predicted in a letter
to the FCC last month that "criminals, terrorists, and spies (could)
use VoIP services to avoid lawfully authorized surveillance." The
letter also was signed by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

[...]

One unusual section of the FBI letter is that it claims the bureau is
seeking to protect Americans' privacy rights: "Mandatory CALEA
compliance by VoIP providers would better protect the privacy of VoIP
users than a voluntary approach. CALEA protects the privacy of
surveillance suspects by requiring carriers to provision the
surveillance in a confidential manner." Otherwise, the FBI argues, a
VoIP company might turn over a "full pipe" to police that would
include conversations of more people than necessary.

[...]
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