Stopping Carnivore Doesn't Stop FBI Surveillance
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Federal agency now turns to Internet service providers for information on people under investigation.
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'You phone bill is overdue' FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals have been repeatedly canceled by telephone companies because the bureau failed to pay their bills on time.â¦
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(InfoWorld) - Even though security technology is improving, spyware legislation is still needed from the U.S. Congress because many consumers don't use all the tech tools available to them, antispyware groups said Thursday. Antispyware groups including the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and StopBadware.org called on Congress to pass antispyware legislation during the last days of the 2006 session. Although some studies show a small decrease in the amount of spyware on PCs, the use of spyware that logs keystrokes seems to be going up, said Ari Schwartz, deputy director of the CDT. "The issue is everyone's still making money doing this," Schwartz said during an antispyware discussion in Washington, D.C. Spyware distributors identified by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the CDT can pull in tens of millions of dollars in revenue annually, he added. Antispyware technology can work, but 81 percent of home PC users don't use all three common security tools -- antispyware software, antivirus software and firewalls -- according to a survey published in December by AOL LLC and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). "We still think consumers are not protected," said Ron Teixeira, the NCSA's executive director. "If they don't take these three core measures, it doesn't matter what we do." The House of Representatives passed two antispyware bills in May 2005, but the full Senate has yet to act on similar legislation introduced there. Paul Cancienne, a legislative assistant for Representative Mary Bono, said his boss is optimistic that the Senate can still pass legislation and the two chambers can iron out their differences before Congress adjourns in October. Bono, a California Republican, pushed forward legislation that would require many software programs collecting personal information to get permission before doing so. Bono's Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act also would outlaw the act of taking over a computer in order to send unauthorized information or code, and diverting a Web browser without the permission of the computer owner. The bill, which passed the House by a 389-vote margin, would allow fines of up to US$3 million for spyware-like activity. Security software updates are exempted from the Bono bill. In addition to legislation, antispyware groups need to continue to educate consumers about online dangers and ways to combat them, said NCSA's Teixeira. Many people don't know how to properly use security software or are confused about products out there, he said. Many of the discussion's participants said legislation that would define illegal practices and give the FTC more power to work with overseas law enforcement agencies would help fight spyware. But not everyone there saw more legislation as an improvement. A new law could bring unintended consequences for the tech industry, said John Palafoutas, senior vice president for domestic policy and congressional affairs at tech trade group AeA. Palafoutas pointed to studies that say a significant percentage of time consumers spend online is looking at pornography sites, identified by StopBadware.org as major sources of spyware. "I'm wary of a legislative fix," Palafoutas said. "Part of the problem is there's a lot of recklessness out there."
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Noise on the wire Opponents of the Bush administration's controversial warrantless wiretapping program have suffered a pair of defeats in their efforts to rein in the scheme.â¦
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By HOPE YEN WASHINGTON - A White House privacy board has determined that two of the Bush administration's controversial surveillance programs - electronic eavesdropping and financial tracking - do not violate citizens' civil liberties.
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A phone company cut off a FBI foreign-intelligence wiretap after the FBI failed to pay its bills, according to an internal audit. The disconnection was just one consequence of the FBI's routine late payments to the nation's telecoms for wiretaps and surveillance infrastructure.
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Three years ago, two dozen FBI agents raided the headquarters of the Global Relief Foundation outside Chicago, the second-largest Islamic charity in the United States. Without a warrant, they stripped it clean of records and froze $900,000 in assets.
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The FBI has yet to fully investigate a former bureau translator's allegations of a security breach, despite statements by other witnesses and documents that support her claims.
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If anything's been lacking in US government agencies' ongoing fight against malicious Internet use, it's a good, old-fashioned public awareness campaign. Yesterday, in an effort to turn up the volume and give local TV news writers a more tangible vocabulary for malicious users, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced interim results of its ongoing efforts to track down and arrest suspected "bot-herders."
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Kirk Yeager makes bombs from the stuff found under kitchen sinks. He does it to help the FBI defend against what officials say is the next frontier for terrorists in the United States.
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Democrats control both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Public opposition to warrantless wiretapping is growing, and recent disclosures suggest it started even before 9/11. So why can't the Democrats curb the Bush administration's wiretapping?
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One warrant for one address not quite good enough The FBI on Friday revealed that human error led to surveillance of an entire email network back in 2006, rather than the single email address approved by the secretive court which approves domestic wiretaps and other forms of e-surveillance.â¦
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The White House must release its visitor logs and cannot hide behind a shield of privilege, a federal judge ruled Monday. The Bush administration has resisted public disclosure while it fights a lawsuit over alleged political influence by conservative Christian leaders.
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Spy on the wire A US appeals court has allowed the government to continue its controversial warrantless surveillance program pending a full review of a ruling by a lower court that the practice is unconstitutional.â¦
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Charges could come as early as next week after a covert operation lasting more than a year. WASHINGTON -- The FBI has spent more than a year covertly investigating, including with the use of electronic surveillance
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ACLU complains of a Catch-22 The US Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping program.â¦
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The FBI was acting illegally when it used the USA Patriot Act to covertly obtain telephone, business and financial records about people living in the United States, according to an audit by the Justice Department. By the Associated Press.