[From Dave Farber's "Interesting People" mailing list. Anyone have any confirmation of the story?]
> National Journal's Technology Daily > > PM Edition > > October 16, 2001 > > HEADLINE: PRIVACY: FBI To Require ISPs To Reconfigure E-mail Systems > > PHOENIX -- The FBI is in the process of finalizing technical > guidelines that would require all Internet service providers (ISPS) to > reconfigure their e-mail systems so they could be more easily > accessible to law enforcers. The move, to be completed over the next > two months, would cause ISPs to act as phone companies do to comply > with a 1994 digital-wiretapping law. "They are in the process of > developing a very detailed set of standards for how to make packet > data" available to the FBI, said Stewart Baker, an attorney at Steptoe > & Johnson who was formerly the chief counsel to the National Security > Agency (NSA). > > The proposal is not a part of the anti-terrorism legislation currently > before Congress because the agency is expected to argue that the > Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) already > grants it the authority to impose the requirement, Baker said. He > added that some ISPs already meet the requirements. > > Baker, who frequently represents Internet companies being asked to > conduct electronic surveillance for the FBI, made the revelation > Tuesday in a panel discussion at the Agenda 2002 conference here on > how the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are likely to affect the technology > industry and civil liberties. He elaborated on the plan in an > interview. > > Such a stance could result in considerable cost to many ISPs, and it > would constitute a reversal of previous government policy, which held > that ISPs are not subject to CALEA's requirements. But Baker also said > "it has been a long-term goal of the FBI and is not just a reaction to > Sept. 11." > > Mitchell Kapor, chairman of the Open Source Application Foundation and > a founder of Lotus Development, also spoke on the panel. Kapor also > started the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and has been a vocal > advocate of Internet privacy. EFF played a significant role in the > CALEA debate, and divisions over whether to support that law led to a > split of the organization. > > "Under the cover of people's outrage [over the terrorist attacks] and > desire for revenge, lots of things that have been defeated before have > been brought back in [to the anti-terrorism legislation] without a > demonstration that the lack of appropriate law is a problem," Kapor > said in an interview. But on the whole, Kapor and Baker shared more > common ground on the acceptability of new electronic surveillance than > they had in the past, with both expressing the view that now is a time > for calm reconsideration of positions rather than butting horns over > the details of how civil liberties would be curtailed by an > anti-terrorism bill. > > "I find myself more in the middle than I used to because my identity > in life is not as a civil liberties advocate," Kapor said. "Part is > being an American and a world citizen." Baker said it was entirely > appropriate for the FBI to conduct far more surveillance. > > "What has changed [since Sept. 11] is the view of the technology > community," Baker said. "I used to get calls like, 'How can I beat the > NSA?'" said Baker. "Now, people call and say, 'I have this great idea > that would help NSA,' or, 'I want to go volunteer and do outreach on > behalf of the FBI or NSA.' There is a real change of people's view > about who the bad guys are." -- Perry E. Metzger [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- "Ask not what your country can force other people to do for you..." --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
