FBI has long been wanting to monitor the internet well enough, even it be in clear violation of people’s rights and their privacy. Security has long been a pretext for violating different portions of constitution. And now, it has been revealed that FBI has secretly formed a net-surveillance unit which will try to devise ways to monitor users over internet, wireless and VoIP communications.
FBI has been quiet about the whole thing primarily because not many internet users in US would take kindly to the notion of being watched all the time by someone who then has the ability to read all the data to and from the user’s computer. The chief purpose of this unit is to eavesdrop on the user’s computer and bring out newer technologies to do so effectively enough.
The unit is formally called Domestic Communications Assistance Center and is tasked with a whole lot of things. These include cyber tools such as intercepting Skype calls or analysing data on a social network or carrier related to some court order to creating actual wiretaps. The unit will act as a helping hand in terms of surveillance for local as well as state and federal police.
FBI has long been working towards this end and had tried to bring internet companies and social networks on board. The agency tried to company the companies not to oppose a law that FBI was trying to have drafted according to which the social networks and other websites will have to allow the agency to sneak into user data and read it.
FBI, after repeated queries about this new group, responded with a statement which reads:
” The NDCAC will have the functionality to leverage the research and development efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement with respect to electronic surveillance capabilities and facilitate the sharing of technology among law enforcement agencies. Technical personnel from other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies will be able to obtain advice and guidance if they have difficulty in attempting to implement lawful electronic surveillance court orders.
It is important to point out that the NDCAC will not be responsible for the actual execution of any electronic surveillance court orders and will not have any direct operational or investigative role in investigations. It will provide the technical knowledge and referrals in response to law enforcement’s requests for technical assistance.”
Source: Declan McCullagh
Courtesy: CNET
[ttjad keyword=”cloud-storage-drive”]
