FBI Planning New Net-Tapping Push

Section_Ei8ht writes to tell us CNet is reporting that the FBI is pushing for legislation to allow law enforcement officials free access to networking gear via built in backdoors for eavesdropping. From the article: "Jim Harper, a policy analyst at the free-market Cato Institute and member of a Homeland Security advisory board, said the proposal would 'have a negative impact on Internet users' privacy. People expect their information to be private unless the government meets certain legal standards,' Harper said. 'Right now the Department of Justice is pushing the wrong way on all this.'"

Comments

I am a patriotic American.

[Avillia]

I am perfectly content with the government and it's employees having access to records showing:

• Every conversation I have ever taken part in.
• Every place I have ever gone.
• Every purchase I have ever made.
• Every person I have ever talked to.
• Every book I have ever read.
• Every thought I have ever had.

It is required for the security of America and the World. The only people who resist the adoption of laws to allow the above are the people who have something to hide. Those who have something to hide are terrorists who wish to strip me of my "freedom".

Re:I am a patriotic American.

[APLowman]

I hope that is sarcasm! Use ... next time.

Re:I am a patriotic American.

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree.

If the price of liberty is that my life gets data-mined, I'm all for that. I mean, we could all flip out about the injustice of having to have your possessions scanned before you get on a plane, but that's the price of security and peace of mind for flying. There is no positive outcome that can come of keeping this sort of information out of the hands of the government. If you think you're better off that way, move to France, eat baguettes.

Re:I am a patriotic American.

[Ohreally_factor]

Every purchase I have ever made.

You know, this could actually come in handy, if you ever wanted to return something to the store, but misplaced the receipt.

Come to think of it, all of that information would be nice to have in one centralized place as I grow older and my memory starts to go south.

Me: Now, where was it that I went on vacation that year?

[scratches head]

Me: Oh, well, I'll just submit a FOIA request to the government and have them tell me.

the next thing

[rolyatknarf]

Next week legislation will be introduced that will require everyone to submit to mandatory daily body cavity searches. You can never be sure where evil is lurking.

Re:Also more prone to abuse

[miskatonic alumnus]

Good point. Ever since those old Bugs Bunny cartoons, all terrorists and criminal masterminds head off through the woods to a special location with a sign proclaiming "Gangster Hideout" to conduct their affairs.

My statement of cooperation

[Randseed]

People, we live in the post-9/11 world. The world has changed. Now I realize that we all have our moral limits, and our views on this, but the reality is that we have to all do our part for the war on terrorism.

The terrorists fight dirty. The only way to fight them is to adopt some of their own tactics. This means that we may have to cooperate with some "unsavory characters." People you don't like, people you don't respect, people you don't want around, people you don't want your kids to interact with, people you wouldn't even allow inside your own home.

So tonight I'm announcing my intention to cooperate with the United States Government.

oblig. Monty Python (parody) Terrorist song

[usurper_ii]

Ok, I've posted this a couple of times already...not just karma whoring, I just thought it was so fitting to the parent topic that I would post once more. I think we should all sing together!

The Terrorist Song
(Sung to the tune of Python's The Lumber Jack Song)

I'm a terrorist and I'm OK
I read at night and I work all day.

The Government:
He's a terrorist and he's OK
He reads at night and he works all day.

I read a lot and I seek the truth
I go to the lavatory.
After OKC, I saw some things that didn't make sense to me.

The Government:
He doesn't believe our story about OKC,
We monitor when he goes to the lavatory.
On Wednesday night, he went to an unapproved web site.

Chorus:
He's a terrorist and he's OK
He reads at night and he works all day.

When, after 9-11 didn't all add up,
I met with others on the net, to talk it up.

The government:
He didn't believe our story about 9-11.
We followed him to unapproved web sites after hours.
In our report, we'll say he had bomb-making materials under his sink.

Chorus:
He's a terrorist and he's OK
He reads at night and he works all day.

I don't think a plane hit the Pentagon.
I think the World Trade Center buildings fell all wrong.
I wish I could convince my dear ol' mom!!

The government:
He's a terrorist and we're going to make him pay?!
We read his e-mail and didn't like what he had to say?!...

Just me:
I wish I'd been born, back when America was really free!!

The Government:
He's a terrorist and we're going to make him pay
He reads the Constitution and knows his rights.
He's just like McVeigh, Bin Laden, and al-Qaeda!!

Chorus:
He's a terrorist and he's OK
He reads at night and he works all day.

Re:Fascism starts ...

[routerguy666]

"when the efficiency of the government" No damn worries about America going facist then.

Re:Next : Installing Camears in US citizens' Rectu

[enitime]

"With voicechat option of course ..."

Great. So now politicians will not only be able to talk out of their own asses, but mine as well?

That just don't seem right.

Re:Sales of US-manufactured networking equipment?

[Atario]

the US Patriot act (BTW, that was a clever name - "If you don't support this act, you can't be a patriot".

Let it never be said that the US was bad at marketing.

[Weeps pitifully]