Careful What You Say-"By Next Monday-Internet Phone Calls Subject To Tapping

[kpete]

Internet Calls Subject To Phone TappingStarting May 14th VoIP Calls Will Be Easier To Tap
By Eric Thomas

May 8 - KGO - Companies that provide Internet phone service have just six days to meet a deadline from the Justice Department. By next Monday, they'll have to make their systems easier to tap. That's right -- make it easier to secretly listen in on your phone calls, or face daily fines of $10,000 dollars.
.......................

Whatever the crime, law enforcement is seeking more and more warrants to listen in -- 1,800 federal warrants last year, and thousands more at the local level.

Charles Cullen, Palo Alto Police Dept.: "We don't have the resources to keep up with all of the emerging technology, and as you know, it changes every day."

Rather than try to keep up with new technology, the FBI and Justice Department convinced Congress to pass a law in 1994 called CALEA -- the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. It says phone companies have to configure their systems so police can easily tap in, even if that police technology is 15 years old, and it often is.

more at:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=assignment_7&id=5286424

[Canuckistanian]

1. They can't listen to all of us at once

Nor do they have the resources to do it.

But what is this "deadline" from the Justice Department? What law guides it?

[Dr.Phool]

10. Oh, yes they can

And they've had that ability since the late '70s.

Read James Bamford's "Puzzle Palace" from 1984. Then read his "Body of Secrets".

[Canuckistanian]

11. OO, thanks

I've been meaning to read him anyways.

[TahitiNut]

2. VoIP is soooo subject to eavesdropping it ain't funny.

Someone on the same subnet (250-2,000 homes on cable plants) with their adapter set on promiscuous mode and with the right software can 'see'/'hear' anything. It makes to old party-line seem trivial. Hell, even cell-phones are slightly harder to eavesdrop, imho.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. SHHHH Cell Phones are as well

when I was a young medic we used to ahem listen to them over the scanner...

Yep it was another country but just as ilegal, in theory... but get yourself a scanner in the right frequence ... and oh boy.

I no longer own any of that gear though, and I used to love listening to police and fire calls

[mike_c]

7. but on the other hand, VOIP has the potential for hard encryption...

...far more so than regular telco comms.

[TahitiNut]

9. true ... makes one wonder why they don't ... ... ... (not)

:evilgrin:

[PDJane]

3. I'll have to get my offspring's opinion on this......

His field of expertise is VOIP. That may be why he's so irritated with his job lately; I haven't asked.

Time for me to do so.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. NSA eat my shorts!

Tempting to get VOIP phone and just read the consituttion

:evilgrin:

[Redstone]

5. Ah, fuck 'em. They want to listen to my phone calls, they're going to fall asleep from boredom.

Redstone

[illinoisprogressive]

8. We should all say stupid things about Bush that day...

[SusanaMontana41]

12. I get Internet phone service

AND a Muslim friend on the East Coast. I say hi to Georgie Boy all the time, in my own special way ...