Precedent for Warrantless Net Monitoring Set

highcon writes "According to this editorial from SecurityFocus, a recent case of a drug dog which pushed the limits of "reasonable search" may have implications for Internet communications in the U.S. This Supreme Court case establishes a precendent whereby "intelligent" packet filters may be deployed which, while scanning the contents of network traffic indiscriminently, only "bark" at communication indicative of illegal activity."

Comments

HELP!!!

[darth_MALL]

Really..I need help...I am DYING for a cigarette...
I have made it 4.5 weeks. I have 1 smoke left for just such an emergency, but I don't stop at one.
I really need some encouragement. HELP!!

Re:What ever happened to the Constitution?

[Mal-2]

And if you think I'm talking out of my ass, I come from Canada, a more socialist country and even our text books are "old and in disrepair". Like my shakespear texts had my cousins signatures in them... They're also about 15 years older than I am...

Why is this a problem, as long as the books aren't falling apart or otherwise illegible? I mean it's not like old Bill is still editing his manuscripts or putting out Version 2.0. I can certainly see this being a problem for a science text, or a modern history text, or a dictionary, but centuries-old literature has pretty much stopped mutating at this point (except for new versions of the Bible that seem to come out regularly). This goes for any literary work actually -- interpretations of literature may change, and biographical information on authors may change, but the text shouldn't. That's why many schools pay to have such books bound in durable hardcover, incurring a significant expense up front in order to avoid replacing books (repeatedly) further down the line.

I know I was reading decades-old books in high school, and nobody seemed to mind. The only inconvenience was the fact that we had to sign for them so we could be billed if they didn't come back, because the replacement cost was so high.

Mal-2

Re:What ever happened to the Constitution?

[evilviper]

So that in say 20 years when kids can read only 37% of Hamlet in school

Actually, I'm a big critic of forcing kids to read Shakespeare in school in the first place. Why should it be required that you REAL a PLAY exactly? Even more, I wonder why it should be necessary that you read any 100+ year-old literature in the first place (other than those of real significance). How does reading Moby Dick enrich my life in any way? How will it become more relevant to society as it gets older and older? I wouldn't suggest it is replaced by a Stephen King novell, but there is plenty of good modern literature that actally has some bearing on the world we live in, rather than the world of centuries ago, that we don't even remotely recognize.

Like my shakespear texts had my cousins signatures in them... They're also about 15 years older than I am...

I fail to see how a signature in a book makes it any less useful. If it's legible, it's good enough.

As for age, if you were talking about history or science books, you might have a point, but Shakespeare is going to be EXACTLY the same whether you read it from a brand-new book, or a 75 year old book...