FBI's Unknown Eavesdropping Network

An anonymous reader writes "Building off the design mandates of CALEA, the FBI has constructed a 'point-and-click surveillance system' that creates instant wiretaps on almost any communications device. A thousand pages of restricted documents released under the Freedom of Information Act were required to determine the veracity of this clandestine project, Wired News reports. Called the Digital Collection System Network, it connects FBI wiretapping rooms to switches controlled by traditional land-line operators, internet-telephony providers and cellular companies. It is intricately woven into the nation's telecom infrastructure. From the article: 'FBI wiretapping rooms in field offices and undercover locations around the country are connected through a private, encrypted backbone that is separated from the internet. Sprint runs it on the government's behalf. The network allows an FBI agent in New York, for example, to remotely set up a wiretap on a cell phone based in Sacramento, California, and immediately learn the phone's location, then begin receiving conversations, text messages and voicemail pass codes in New York. With a few keystrokes, the agent can route the recordings to language specialists for translation.'"

Comments

Sounds a bit too smooth

[kalpol]

This is the government - and the FBI. Somehow I can't believe it actually works as smoothly as that.

Re:Sounds a bit too smooth

[discogravy]

...other children?

Hollywood?

[Durrok]

Are you kidding me? The Bourne Ultimatum and The Simpsons Movie were actually on to something?

And just when is the warrant issued?

[EWAdams]

Forgive me for being old-fashioned and naive, but I was under the impression that law enforcement had to present a judge with probable cause before somebody could be wiretapped in the USA. Or is that, like, SO 20th century? Do we now have one-click warrants? Maybe Amazon should sue.

You realize, of course, the majority of the time this facility will be used to obtain free service from phone sex lines...

Said the spider to the fly

[Tony]

I have nothing to hide.

Of course you don't, Anonymous Coward.

"Route the recordings to language specialists..."

[dpbsmith]

...and is greeted by a recording saying

"I'm sorry. All of our Arabic language specialists are busy assisting other agents. Your call is important to the nation, so please do not hang up. Stay on the line and you will be assisted by the next available language specialist. The estimated waiting time for this call is six months and twenty-seven minutes"

followed by an overcompressed .mp3 of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons."

Sheesh

[Cervantes]

Sheesh, you americans can never make up your mind, can you?

"The government is too big and wasteful. There's so much paperwork and useless red tape and hoops to jump through to do one simple little thing. There's so much money just thrown away! I wish they'd fix that."

"This new system is slick and efficient. It scares me. I wish they had lots of red tape, paperwork, and hoops. That would slow them down and protect my liberties."