28 April 2008

FBI Wants to to Seize Control of the Backbone to See if You Gamble or Watch Pr0n

Really, I'm serious on this, though this could come as no surprise. It is the organizational imperative for law enforcement to ask for permission to spy on everyone all the time without oversight, as FBI Chief Mueller states:
I think legislation has to be developed that balances on one hand, the privacy rights of the individual who are receiving the information, but on the other hand, given the technology, the necessity of having some omnibus search capability utilizing filters that would identify the illegal activity as it comes through and give us the ability to preempt that illegal activity where it comes through a choke point as opposed to the point where it is diffuse on the Internet
(Emphasis Ars Technica)

Obvious issue that the US does not own the internet, and it appears from his statements that he wants to be able to shut down the traffic with no judicial review, whether it be a BBS that they determine to be "terrorist", or illegal betting in the form of an office "March Madness" pool, or fantasy baseball.

They will also be able to monitor what you buy at an online bookstore, and the content of your emails.

What's more, in an increasingly politicized Justice Department, the possibilities for selective prosecution just boggle the mind.

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