RSS
EFF Sues The Gov't, Demanding Proof That It Needs To Put Wiretap Backdoors Into All Communications
from the where's-the-proof dept
About a month ago, news broke that the feds were going to push for new legislation that would require wiretapping backdoors be put into all forms of internet communications. This is a bad idea for any number of reasons -- including the fact that this would make it much easier for others to spy on the communications of Americans. However, all indications are that the feds (especially the NSA, who wants to pretend they're "protecting" Americans from security issues, while really just wanting to spy on more Americans) are going to push forward anyway.
Part of the justification for the push for such wiretapping mandates is that new technology has made it much more difficult for law enforcement to to intercept necessary information. So the EFF made a simple request: prove it. It filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the evidence that new technologies were actually hindering law enforcement. However, the US government apparently ignored the request, leading the EFF to sue the government over its failure to respond to the request.
Part of the justification for the push for such wiretapping mandates is that new technology has made it much more difficult for law enforcement to to intercept necessary information. So the EFF made a simple request: prove it. It filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the evidence that new technologies were actually hindering law enforcement. However, the US government apparently ignored the request, leading the EFF to sue the government over its failure to respond to the request.
"The sweeping changes the government is proposing, to require 'back doors' into all private communications technologies, would have enormous privacy and security ramifications for American Internet users," said EFF Staff Attorney Jennifer Lynch. "Any meaningful debate must be based on the information we're seeking in the FOIA requests, so the government's failure to comply in a timely manner is troubling."
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
It's like cops who stop people that break speed limit laws. The govt can't stop real criminals so they set arbitrarily low speed limits and go after victimless criminals in an effort to collect money and claim that they're doing something constructive. Then our mainstream media paints people who speed as really bad people that need to be stopped. There is little to no evidence that these speed limits save lives or reduce accident rates. Heck, the autobahn has no speed limits in some places and their accident and fatality rates are much lower than that of many U.S. states. When you have ridiculously slow speed limits on roads designed to go faster, what do you expect?
Add Your Comment