Freeh wants to wiretap millions

[Brad Dolan <bdolan@use.usit.net>]

Excerpt from latest CDT bulletin...

Mr. (Un)Freeh wants to be able to monitor (perhaps as much as) the most 
troublesome 1% of the population. This would appear to be a rather large 
expansion of telephone wiretapping.

bd

---------- Forwarded message ----------
[Excerpt]

  CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY
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  A briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties online
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CDT POLICY POST Number 26                      October 20, 1995

CONTENTS: (1) FBI Announces Digital Telephony Surveillance Capacity Request
          (2) Subcribe To The CDT Policy Post Distribution List
          (3) About CDT, Contacting Us


(1) FBI NOTICE BEGINS DIGITAL TELEPHONY COMPLIANCE PROCESS -- PUBLIC
    ACCOUNTABILITY FOR FBI REQUEST ESSENTIAL

On Monday October 16 1995, the FBI published its initial request for
surveillance capacity as required under Section 104 (a) of the
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (PL 104-144, a.k.a.
Digital Telephony).  As required by law, the FBI will accept public
comments on the proposed capacity requirements for 30 days (ending November
15, 1995).  The notice, which includes instructions for submitting
comments, is attached below.

[...]

SURVEILLANCE CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS

Section 104 of CALEA requires telecommunications carriers to ensure that
their systems posses sufficient capacity to accommodate a specified number
of simultaneous intercepts, pen register, and trap and trace devices.  As
required by Section 104 (a)(1), the FBI, after consultation with state and
local law enforcement officials and the telecommunications industry, has
published an initial notice or capacity requirements.  Section 104 (a)(1)
requires that the FBI seek public comment and then publish in the federal
register and provide to telecommunications carriers:

[...]

CATEGORY I -- Areas With Heavy Surveillance Activity

Large urban areas and other areas the FBI estimates require the greatest
surveillance capacity would fall under Category I [page 53646, see below].

ACTUAL CAPACITY: .5% of engineered capacity, or 500 simultaneous
surveillance orders for each equipment, facility, or service serving
100,000 subscribers.

MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 1% of engineered capacity, or 1000 simultaneous
surveillance orders for each equipment, facility, or service serving
100,000 subscribers, by 1998.
_______________________________________________________________________

[...]

[editor's note -- Appendicies have been deleted to save spae.  The entire
text of this document can be found at CDT's Digital Telephony Web Page,
URL:http://www.cdt.org/digtel.html]

Dated: October 10, 1995.

Louis J. Freeh,
Director.

[FR Doc. 95-25562 Filed 10-13-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-02-M

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