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'Full-Pipe' FBI Internet Monitoring Questionably Legal

Posted by Zonk on from the frag-em-all-sort-em-out-later dept.

CNet is running a piece looking at what they refer to as a 'questionably legal' internet surveillance technique being employed by the FBI. In situations where isolating a specific IP address for a suspect is not possible, the FBI has taken to 'full-pipe' surveillance: all activity for a bank of IPs is recorded, and then data mining is used to attempt to isolate their target. The questionable legality of this situation results from a requirement that, under federal law, the FBI is required to use 'minimization'. The article describes it this way: "Federal law says that agents must 'minimize the interception of communications not otherwise subject to interception' and keep the supervising judge informed of what's happening. Minimization is designed to provide at least a modicum of privacy by limiting police eavesdropping on innocuous conversations." Full-pipe surveillance would seem to abandon that principle in favor of getting to the target faster.

2 of 211 comments (clear)

  1. full pipe? by superwiz · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    May be they think it's a truck.

    --
    Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
  2. Re:Meanwhile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    nah. history proves otherwise you ignorant fool.

    1. Isreal is Gods chosen nation
    2. Muhammad is a false prophet.
    3. Every nation and empire that has tried to eliminate or curse the Jews has fallen.

    Better learn to pray to the God of the Jews otherwise you face the certian and eternal lake of fire. Blowing up kids and claiming it is of God when in fact it is of Satan... Yeap, your doomed.