Slashdot Mirror
Wiretapping Made Easier
An Anonymous Coward writes "Less than a week after it was decided that virtual child pornography was legal, a bill has been introduced into Congress that makes it easier for wiretaps to be authorized by allowing material constituting or containing child pornography to be valid grounds for requesting a wiretap."
a bill has been introduced into Congress that makes it easier for wiretaps to be authorized by allowing material constituting or containing child pornography to be valid grounds for requesting a wiretap.
So that constitutes basically every ISP, I guess.
This legislation allows child pornography or offensive material to be grounds for a wiretap?
What even does that mean?
Does the existence of the "material" somewhere in the known universe allow them to tap anyone's wire? (I sure hope not!)
Or do they only get to tap a wire that is carrying such material? But if they don't have a wiretap yet, how can they know?
Presumably, the crime they would be trying to gather evidence for is related to the "material"? Yeah?
:(
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
A quick read-through of the bill -- and as bills go, this one is really short, so hop on over and take a look -- makes it seem as if all they've done is add owning/distributing child porn was added to the list of wiretappable crimes. If there's more there, I'm missing it.
Other than the faint unease I may feel at law enforcement's gradual erosion of our communal privacy, I'm not really getting a Big Brother vibe off this one. But it might be a useful stepping-off point for a /. discussion on wiretaps in general...
I'm not sure why this isn't on the front page, but it ought to be.
Anyways, I have to agree. Although it may be a bit broadscope to say that this would cover all ISP's, the government isn't unlikely to pull it off.
The thing that pisses me off, though is that this whole "destroy child pornography" bit over-reaches power. Does anyone remember the Fourth Ammendment?
01101001 01100001 01101101 01101110 01101111 01110100 01100001 01101100 01100001 01110111 01111001 01100101 01110010
Why can't we just have one wiretap law for all types of crimes?
First, wiretap does not mean an arbitrary wire looking for "bad things". The same procedures are followed as in any wiretap request. There must be reasonable suspicion to get a wiretap order from a judge, and it is targeted at a specific person. This will not mean that a tap will be placed at an ISP for general collection. This does not mean that if your neighbor is under investigation that you will be caught watching n00die videos of Britney Spears. in her Mickey Mouse days.
Stop the panic attacks by informing yourselves on the facts..
One last point.. If you are suspected of traficking in child pornography, I hope that I am the one installing the wiretap, and I'll be sure to mention the charges as you are admitted to Federal Prison. Child molesters are truely at the bottom of the barrel there as well.
Fun, fun.
There is an interesting article at http://www.alternet.org
D =12959
Thought Crimes
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryI
Even the Supreme Court recognizes that sexual fantasies -- even about children -- are not necessarily rehearsals for harmful actions.
Although I don't like wiretapping I see it neccessary to do something to stop the production of child pornography.
But we have to keep in mind that law cannot exstinguish the roots of the problem. Sexual repression breeds all kinds of perversions, of which child pornography is one of the things which should not be tolerated IMO. And as long as more natural ways to live sexuality are forbidden by law or social moral also, there remains the feeling of a split conscience.
If law forbits prostitution for example, then sex has to come out thru other outlets, rape and porn beeing one of them.
Having a big chunk of flesh bitten out of them might discourage a would-be child molester.
Of course, I'm just sure there are safeguards in this legislation that limit the scope of the wiretap to child porn, right? Right?
~~~
Well here in Canada you're not even entitled to the virtual pornograhpy so maybe you're still better off in the USA after all. Oh, and you're not entitled to any stories involving children either.