The Obama internet plan has expanded to include something besides more broadband for everybody. The Obama administration, along with intelligence and regulation enforcement agencies, want even more surveillance powers online, which could be part of a new bill going before Congress sometime in the near future. The bill is not anywhere close to done. That said, the surveillance powers of the federal can be dramatically expanded if it does. Washington already has access to a broad array of communications for surveillance purposes, and this will expand that access.
Obama web surveillance agenda
A bill will propose more access for wiretap and monitoring purposes for intelligence and enforcement officials, according to the New York Times. The bill is due sometime next year. The Obama administration backs the idea. The bill will mandate that all methods of communication be designed to allow government surveillance. The reason is that some communications, especially those on the Internet, are encrypted and private.
Regulation is boutique designers
The disadvantage to restrictions of this sort is that little independent shops have to work double time to keep up with mandates, whereas an already large business can very easily comply. The recent ban of the Blackberry in several countries was due to Research In Motion having intended the phone so e-mails and texts are encrypted, private communications. RIM, along with other tech corporations such as voice over internet protocol company Skype, would have to re-engineer products to permit for federal intervention. Fewer people are relying on traditional phone communications. Regulation enforcement and intelligence personnel have warned that the ability to monitor criminals is “going dark” as a result of less accessibility.
Ear wall space
There are few methods of communication, apart from speaking in person, that aren’t subject to domestic monitoring. There was a good deal of controversy over the Bush domestic spying program. Obama has not dealt with fears of subversion of civil liberties. You will find legitimate threats to public safety that could be dealt with by this legislation, and the federal insists it isn’t overstepping its authority by asking for the access. A greater degree of surveillance may seem a good tool for catching criminals in the act, but can effortlessly be misused.
Articles cited
NY Times
nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27wiretap.html?pagewanted=1
