Net Taps Without Warrants?

disappear writes "In the wake of yesterday's threats to cryptography, more ominous news: Wired News reports that a bill permitting warrantless Internet surveilance has been passed by the Senate." This is just part of the expected and unfortunate backlash from tuesday. The terrorists are winning simply because the govt. can use their threat as a blank check to take away our rights. The worst part is that this will do no good whatsoever. Does the govt really think that crypto export restrictions have prevented terrorists from having strong crypto?

Comments

FUD from Wired. Notice the "?" in the Headline.

[jazmataz23]

According to NPR, a much more reliable source of political information, this bill merely changes the regulatory jurisdiction of obtaining an electronic "wiretap". Previously, to "tap" an email, the prosecutors had to present the case for the warrant to every judge whose jurisdiction in which the the email passes. Meaning if I send an email from NC to NY judges in both my federal district and the federal district of the recient have to sign off on the warrant, as well as all those servers that pass the message on.

It is still very difficult to get a wiretap warrant, both for email and telephones; the burden of proof is extremely high. Now, I'm not saying illegal wiretaps are not done, but it's still just as difficult to get one legally. I'm not in law enforcement, but I'm also not a paranoiac. Mod me down for both acts of reason.:P

jaz