New FBI Net surveillance bill
p2p news / p2pnet: ISPs will be forced to create wiretapping hubs for police surveillance and network companies will have to include backdoors for eavesdropping if new US legislation is approved.
A bill, drafted by the FBI, "would expand the 1994 CALEA law and is a top congressional priority for the federal agency,” says CNET News.
“If passed, it could put the FBI’s Net-surveillance push on solid legal footing.”
At the moment, it’s ensnared in a legal challenge from universities and some technology companies that claim the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband surveillance directives exceed what Congress has authorized, says the story, going on:
“The FBI claims that expanding the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act is necessary to thwart criminals and terrorists who have turned to technologies like voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.”
CNET says the legislation would:
- Require any manufacturer of "routing" and "addressing" hardware to offer upgrades or other "modifications" that are needed to support Internet wiretapping. Current law does require that of telephone switch manufacturers – but not makers of routers and network address translation hardware like Cisco Systems and 2Wire.
- Authorize the expansion of wiretapping requirements to "commercial" Internet services including instant messaging if the FCC deems it to be in the "public interest." That would likely sweep in services such as in-game chats offered by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming system as well.
- Force Internet service providers to sift through their customers’ communications to identify, for instance, only VoIP calls. (The language requires companies to adhere to "processing or filtering methods or procedures applied by a law enforcement agency.") That means police could simply ask broadband providers like AT&T, Comcast or Verizon for wiretap info – instead of having to figure out what VoIP service was being used.
- Eliminate the current legal requirement saying the Justice Department must publish a public "notice of the actual number of communications interceptions" every year. That notice currently also must disclose the "maximum capacity" required to accommodate all of the legally authorized taps that government agencies will "conduct and use simultaneously."
Digg this.
Also See:
CNET News – FBI plans new Net-tapping push, July 7, 2006
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July 11th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
If this was really about what I consider to be actual “criminals and terrorists” I would be begrudgingly accepting of it. Since it’s real purpose is the next logical step in creating a police state I think it’s yet another abomination of our government. By itself this would be one thing, but there’s a clear pattern here. I will not stoop to name calling those who refuse to see it.
July 11th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
I can see the news on Linksys’ website right now “New firmware available for your router. With exciting new features for the hacker next door to explore!”.
July 11th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Next they’ll be pushing for every new house to have an FBI “backdoor” a secret door that only the FBI can cross so they can come in whenever they feel like it and steal stuff from the fridge!
July 12th, 2006 at 1:52 am
He is the candidate that ran under the
Constitution Party.
http://www.constitutionparty.com
The Republicans told me that if I voted for him,
that I’d be voting for Kerry. I told them that
voting for Bush would be the same as voting for
Kerry. The only difference between them as far
as I am concerned is what lies they tell and who
they lie to.
July 12th, 2006 at 5:47 am
So let me get this straight.
This bill is passed and the hardware makers have to both ensure all new hardware does this, and provide upgrades to allow old hardware to do it too. Not just multi-million dollar telco hardware, but ordinary routers and stuff that just about any isp would have lying around the server rooms.
So the hackers just get onto ebay or some other equivalent to find some of this hardware that’s being flogged off because the isp went bust or got bought or whatever. Then they get the upgrades off the manufacturer’s website using some fake email address or stationery or whatever.
Then they study the differences in the old hardware before and after the upgrade to isolate the backdoors. Then the entire Internet of the usa gets ‘Pwned!!!!!’ by every hacker who’s prepared to pay for the backdoor passwords, while the rest of the world looks on and runs a betting pool on how long it’ll take to restore ‘normal’ service if ever.
Right. That’s gotta be a new guinness ‘Dumbest Idea Ever’ record candidate. The really scary part is that these bureaucrats think it’s a great idea, that’ll actually work!
July 12th, 2006 at 1:53 pm
And when a substantial number of people begin to use encryption to foil the nosy feds, I suppose we can expect yet another fbi sponsored bill to compel those people to disclose their passwords. Doesnt the UK already have such a law?