FBI's Unknown Eavesdropping Network 362
An anonymous reader writes "Building off the design mandates of CALEA, the FBI has constructed a 'point-and-click surveillance system' that creates instant wiretaps on almost any communications device. A thousand pages of restricted documents released under the Freedom of Information Act were required to determine the veracity of this clandestine project, Wired News reports. Called the Digital Collection System Network, it connects FBI wiretapping rooms to switches controlled by traditional land-line operators, internet-telephony providers and cellular companies. It is intricately woven into the nation's telecom infrastructure. From the article: 'FBI wiretapping rooms in field offices and undercover locations around the country are connected through a private, encrypted backbone that is separated from the internet. Sprint runs it on the government's behalf. The network allows an FBI agent in New York, for example, to remotely set up a wiretap on a cell phone based in Sacramento, California, and immediately learn the phone's location, then begin receiving conversations, text messages and voicemail pass codes in New York. With a few keystrokes, the agent can route the recordings to language specialists for translation.'"
Sounds a bit too smooth (Score:5, Funny)
Hollywood? (Score:5, Funny)
hmmm (Score:2, Funny)
And just when is the warrant issued? (Score:5, Funny)
You realize, of course, the majority of the time this facility will be used to obtain free service from phone sex lines...
Said the spider to the fly (Score:5, Funny)
Of course you don't, Anonymous Coward.
The more things change (Score:3, Funny)
Wadsworth: I don't know! He's on everybody else's. Why shouldn't he be on mine?
Re:Sounds a bit too smooth (Score:3, Funny)
Agent Smith
"Okay, Abdul must be on this one"
Smith clicks mouse.
"..can't believe Sheila had the nerve to.."
Agent Smith
"Okay, Abdul must be on *this* one"
"..then my man Mafu, he gave dat bioch wat for.."
Agent Jones ROLLS EYES.
Agent Smith
"Okay, Abdul must be on *this* one"
so it goes...
"Route the recordings to language specialists..." (Score:5, Funny)
"I'm sorry. All of our Arabic language specialists are busy assisting other agents. Your call is important to the nation, so please do not hang up. Stay on the line and you will be assisted by the next available language specialist. The estimated waiting time for this call is six months and twenty-seven minutes"
followed by an overcompressed
Re:Time to move (Score:3, Funny)
Baaaa. Baaaaa.
Just stand in the corner and the powers that be be over to sheer you later.
Re:Sounds a bit too smooth (Score:4, Funny)
Why yes, he does. But you don't want to know what's in it.
Sheesh (Score:5, Funny)
"The government is too big and wasteful. There's so much paperwork and useless red tape and hoops to jump through to do one simple little thing. There's so much money just thrown away! I wish they'd fix that."
"This new system is slick and efficient. It scares me. I wish they had lots of red tape, paperwork, and hoops. That would slow them down and protect my liberties."
Re:Sounds a bit too smooth (Score:5, Funny)
You are so wrong. (Score:3, Funny)