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U.S. Government seeks Legislation to 'Wiretap' the Internet
According to a New York Times report, the Obama administration will introduce a bill which requires all communications service providers to be technically capable of complying if served with a wire tap order. This will include being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages. The bill would apply broadly to all email, social networking, instant messaging, and even Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.
The bill will likely face opposition from civil libertarian and business groups, as it raises privacy issues, as well as technical issues for the companies who would be forced to reconfigure their systems to permit access to encrypted data. However, Federal law enforcement and national security officials argue such legislation is reasonable and necessary to prevent the erosion of their investigative powers, as criminal and terrorist suspects increasingly communicate online, rather than by telephone.
The administration’s proposal is expected to be submitted to Congress when it convenes next year.
For additional information, visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27wiretap.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20017671-281.html