The Growth Of Secret Wiretaps In The U.S. Continues

As Application Approvals Drop, Work On Secret Wiretaps Grows, U.S. Government Sources Say -- Washington Post

Even as the Justice Department reports a two-year decline in the number of wiretap applications approved by a secret U.S. intelligence court, the workload of Justice Department lawyers assigned to request and oversee such sensitive surveillance activities appears to be growing.

The activity by the department's National Security Division, which is responsible for obtaining authorization from a secret court to tap Americans' telephone calls and e-mails and conduct other surveillance, was a prominent factor cited by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in a campaign this month to prod the Senate into confirming President Obama's nomination of James M. Cole to serve as Holder's deputy.

Read more ....

My Comment: President Bush was condemned by the Press, academia, the ACLU and other civil liberty groups, Democrats, etc....

Today .... nothing but silence.

F.B.I. Seeks Greater Wiretap Laws For The Web

F.B.I. Seeks Wider Wiretap Law for Web -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, traveled to Silicon Valley on Tuesday to meet with top executives of several technology firms about a proposal to make it easier to wiretap Internet users.

Mr. Mueller and the F.B.I.’s general counsel, Valerie Caproni, were scheduled to meet with senior managers of several major companies, including Google and Facebook, according to several people familiar with the discussions. How Mr. Mueller’s proposal was received was not clear.

Read more ....

My Comment: So much for privacy rights .... and where are all the protesters/media/academics/pundits who were foaming at the mouth when President Bush and his administration were thinking of implementing similar wiretapping laws a few years back. Oh well .... at least the New York Times covered the story.

U.S. Wiretapping Laws To Be Overhauled

Valerie E. Caproni, the F.B.I.’s general counsel, has said the government is trying to prevent its existing surveillance power from eroding. Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

Officials Push To Bolster Law on Wiretapping -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Law enforcement and counterterrorism officials, citing lapses in compliance with surveillance orders, are pushing to overhaul a federal law that requires phone and broadband carriers to ensure that their networks can be wiretapped, federal officials say.

The officials say tougher legislation is needed because some telecommunications companies in recent years have begun new services and made system upgrades that caused technical problems for surveillance. They want to increase legal incentives and penalties aimed at pushing carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast to ensure that any network changes will not disrupt their ability to conduct wiretaps.

Read more ....

Update: US wants to ease telecom wiretapping: report -- Economic Times

My Comment: I know I have beating this dead horse more than once .... but if these changes were proposed by the previous Bush administration, the press and civil liberties organizations will be foaming at their mouths. Different administration .... different result.

As to what is my take, these laws were always meant to be changed as changes in telecommunications take hold. The web was just a concept used by a few people 15 years ago .... today, it is the main instrument that terror groups communicate with each other. In turn, our laws must change to conform to these new threats.

FBI Got 2000 Phone Records With Fake Terrorism Emergencies: Report

F.B.I. Violated Rules in Obtaining Phone Records, Report Says -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation improperly obtained calling records for more than 3,500 telephone accounts from 2003 to 2006 without following any legal procedures, according to a newly disclosed report by the Justice Department’s inspector general.

Instead, according to the 289-page report, F.B.I. agents informally requested the records from employees of three unidentified telephone companies who were stationed inside a bureau communications office.

Read more ....

More News On the FBI In obtaining Our Phone Records

FBI tactics in terror probes 'troubling,' inspector general says -- L.A. Times
Inspector General Cites 'Egregious Breakdown' in FBI Oversight -- Washington Post
Watchdog: Telecoms let FBI read Americans' phone records -- McClatchy News
FBI faked terror alerts to get phone records -- The Register
US Investigator: FBI Phone Tracking Methods 'Troubling' -- Voice of America
FBI 'fabricated terror emergencies to get phone records' -- The Guardian
FBI got 2,000 phone records with fake terrorism emergencies: report -- Christian Science Monitor
Democrats blast FBI for improperly obtaining phone records -- Politico
DOJ: Operators Helped FBI Illegally Obtain Phone Records -- PC World
FBI Broke Law Spying on Americans’ Phone Records, Post Reports -- Threat Level
Response to Inspector General’s Review of FBI’s Use of Exigent Letters -- FBI