Monday is Wiretap the Internet Day

Alien54 wrote with a link to a Wired blog entry noting that May 14th is the official deadline for internet service providers to modify their networks, and meet the FBI and FCC's new regulations. The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act requires that everyone from cable services to Universities give them access, within certain parameters, to the usage habits of customers. "So, if you're a broadband provider (separately, some VOIP companies are covered too) ... Hurry! The deadline has already passed to file an FCC form 445, certifying that you're on schedule, or explaining why you're not. You can also find the 68-page official industry spec for internet surveillance here. It'll cost you $164.00 to download, but then you'll know exactly what format to use when delivering customer packets to federal or local law enforcement, including 'e-mail, instant messaging records, web-browsing information and other information sent or received through a user's broadband connection, including on-line banking activity.'"

Comments

Re:$164

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not that uncommon. Here in SC you have to pay to have access to the law. It is copyrighted and the state vigorously protects that copyright. In 1998 I was threatened by the state AG's office for having a copy of a .doc file on my web site that quoted a section of the state's vehicle laws. Us peons aren't allowed access to the laws. Knowledge of the law is only for the protected lawyer class.

I still find it amusing that a friend of mine at the time disagreed with the thuggish tactics they used but is now OK w/ denying commoners access to the law. The difference is that he recently graduated from Duke law school. He is now very anti-Constitution, anti-EFF (despite having donated money to them several years ago!), and very pro-Democrat.

The text from the SC law:

"The State of South Carolina owns the copyright to the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, as contained herein. Any use of the text, section headings, or catchlines of the 1976 Code is subject to the terms of federal copyright and other applicable laws and such text, section headings, or catchlines may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or for inclusion in any material which is offered for sale or lease without the express written permission of the Chairman of the South Carolina Legislative Council or the Code Commissioner of South Carolina."

They consider distribution for free on a web site a sale for $0 so that makes it illegal without written permission. I tried to obtain permission and after making around four dozen phone calls and two trips to Columbia, SC, I finally gave-up.

Re:So the next step

[Bob Gelumph]

So when will slashdot enable https://slashdot.org?