In incredible news breaking in the US over the weekend, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has made an application to the Federal Communications Commission requesting easy access to all forms of Internet communication, including Microsoft�s Xbox Live and online PlayStation 2 servers.
If the request is granted, all US-based Internet Service Providers will have to make radical changes to their systems in order to accommodate a backdoor listening post for FBI agents.
The request includes all forms of digital online communication, from instant messenger services to voiceover IP communications, and mentions gaming services such as Xbox Live.
“The importance and the urgency of this task cannot be overstated,” says the proposal, which is co-sponsored by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration. “The ability of federal, state and local law enforcement to carry out critical electronic surveillance is being compromised today.”
However, this raises the point of how many arrests per day would come from tapping into the Microsoft gaming service. The constant stream of abuse, coupled with the endless threats of violent reprisals, may be too much for the US law agency to handle. Is it illegal to threaten the safety of someone’s family over the outcome of a Project Gotham 2 race?
We�ll find out soon enough…
http://spong.com/x?art=6442
Can’t find a link to a more mainstream outlet, but I would like to comment on this a bit.
Is anyone going to stop this stuff? I mean seriously, how far does the goverment have to go, before people as a whole are going to realize that they are taking away our freedom? What has to happen before some people stand up and say, “Hey what the hell are you doing reading all my conversations with everyone?”
Public safety is one thing, but it seems that after Sept. 11 they have really went out of control. Immediately after it they were power snatching, but at least they were doing it in the daylight, now they are doing it and no one is even reporting it.
Then you have stuff like this http://www.echelonwatch.org/ Where Australia has admitted it exists and that the US is in it, but the US won’t. Could be overhyped theory sure, but what if it isn’t? What if it is overhyped like the stealth figher/bomber rumors were overhyped?