Judge calls government arguments in CALEA case "gobbledygook"

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Steven M. Bellovin" <smb () cs columbia edu>
Date: May 5, 2006 2:30:50 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Judge calls government arguments in CALEA case "gobbledygook"

One Court of Appeals judge took a very dim view of the government's
arguments in a lawsuit challenging the expansion of CALEA rules to the
Internet:

        'Your argument makes no sense,'' U.S. Circuit Judge Harry T.
        Edwards told the lawyer for the Federal Communications Commission,
        Jacob Lewis. ''When you go back to the office, have a big chuckle.
        I'm not missing this. This is ridiculous. Counsel!''

        At another point in the hearing, Edwards told the FCC's lawyer his
        arguments were ''gobbledygook'' and ''nonsense.''

However, they seemed more willing to accept CALEA as applied to VoIP,
since it

        offered ''precisely the same'' functions as traditional telephone
        lines.

See http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Internet-Calls- 
Wiretaps.html for
the full story.

                --Steven M. Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb


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