EFFy Wiretap Win?

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

EFF what say you about this?


Excerpts from WSJ, September 30, 1994, p. B5

Bill Would Ensure
Law Enforcement
Is Able to Tap Wires

By Mary Lu Carnevale

Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

 WASHINGTON - The House Judiciary Committee cleared
a bill that would require telephone companies to
ensure that their networks remain accessible to law
enforcement wiretaps.

 But key lawmakers agreed to changes aimed at
appeasing local phone companies. The modifications
largely spell out that phone companies won't be
forced to pay to modify their existing networks to
comply with the measure. They are expected to be
included in the bill before it goes to the House
floor, possibly as early as Tuesday.

 A similar measure sailed through the Senate
Judiciary Committee earlier this week on a 16-1
vote. Though little time remains in the current
Congress, the legislation could squeak through.

* * *

 The agreement, details of which are being ironed
out, also aims to protect individuals' privacy
rights; prevent phone companies or law-enforcement
agencies from installing or ordering unnecessary
upgrades; and ensure that the changes have the
least possible effect on phone rates and
phone-company efforts to build advanced
communications networks.

 The legislation is separate from the Clinton
administration's controversial "Clipper Chip"
proposal that would have mandated an encryption
standard for computer and communications equipment.
That failed proposal would have let law-enforcement
agencies decipher any calls or messages that had
been encoded.

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END