Law to make us ’safer’ does the opposite
The Washington Post is reporting that our new Security/Wiretapping Law, which, because of the fiber optic nature of landlines, requires special switches for the taps to be placed, also allows others beside the government to use these special switches to intercept conversations. The article states, “Such threats are not theoretical. For almost a year beginning in April 2004, more than 100 phones belonging to members of the Greek government, including the prime minister and ministers of defense, foreign affairs, justice and public order, were spied on with wiretapping software that was misused. Exactly who placed the software and who did the listening remain unknown. But they were able to use software that was supposed to be used only with legal permission . . . In simplifying wiretapping for U.S. intelligence, we provide a target for foreign intelligence agencies and possibly rogue hackers. Break into one service, and you get broad access to U.S. communications.”
The slashdotters, of course, had a lot to say about this concept of wiretaps. For example, “Isn’t having ‘automatic wiretapping’ just as great of an idea as having a firewall with a deliberate backdoor?” and “The U.S. government should not be concerned if they have nothing to hide… Right?” and “The NSA already installed such a system in their “‘does not exist’ fibre patching room inside the AT&T fibre facility.”
Way to go, Dubya. Way to go, Congress. Let’s let EVERYONE eavesdrop on America. I swear, I’m beginning to think the term “US Intelligence” is an oxymoron.
Technorati Tags: Wiretap, US Intelligence, FISA Warrants
