ACLU: Proposed expansion of wiretap powers ‘a clear recipe for abuse’
Daniel Tencer
Raw Story
FBI Director Robert Mueller traveled to Silicon Valley this week to convince major Internet players to build “back doors” into their software that will allow law enforcement to wiretap data on their networks, says a news report.
It’s part of an effort to expand the FBI’s wiretapping powers to include the latest communications technologies, including social networking sites, voice-over-Internet (VoIP) telephone services and BlackBerries.
But privacy and civil rights advocates are raising the alarm about the proposal, saying that the proposed wiretapping tools could just as easily be used by hackers to steal personal information, or by oppressive governments to track political dissidents.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Mueller is on a lobbying trip in Silicon Valley to sell tech companies on the idea.
Mr. Mueller and the F.B.I.’s general counsel, Valerie Caproni, were scheduled to meet with senior managers of several major companies, including Google and Facebook, according to several people familiar with the discussions. How Mr. Mueller’s proposal was received was not clear.
“I can confirm that F.B.I. Director Robert Mueller is visiting Facebook during his trip to Silicon Valley,” said Andrew Noyes, Facebook’s public policy manager. Michael Kortan, an F.B.I. spokesman, acknowledged the meetings but did not elaborate.
The Obama administration plans to introduce the new law — an update to the 1994 Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act — next year.
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