FBI pressures Internet providers to install surveillance software

CNET has learned the FBI has developed custom "port reader" software to intercept Internet metadata in real time. And, in some cases, it wants to force Internet providers to use the software.

The U.S. government is quietly pressuring telecommunications providers to install eavesdropping technology deep inside companies' internal networks to facilitate surveillance efforts.

FBI officials have been sparring with carriers, a process that has on occasion included threats of contempt of court, in a bid to deploy government-provided software capable of intercepting and analyzing entire communications streams. The FBI's legal position during these discussions is that the software's real-time interception of metadata is authorized under the Patriot Act.

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I did a search on this and found nothing. Mods if I have put this in the wrong location please move for me. Thanks.

It's amazing that our government can by-pass written law to eavesdrop on citizens. Am I surprised, no. But I does show another stepping stone where this country has gone.

Guess it's time to lock my router down even further. Port Readers are no joke.

So.. the nsa isn't playing nice and sharing their surveillance data?
Fifteen years ago all these ideas of a total surveillance state were thought so ridiculous that those of us that said it was coming were laughed at. Too bad I can't laugh back.

Originally posted by pirhanna
So.. the nsa isn't playing nice and sharing their surveillance data?
Fifteen years ago all these ideas of a total surveillance state were thought so ridiculous that those of us that said it was coming were laughed at. Too bad I can't laugh back.

Do they ever play nice with each other. NSA, FBI, CIA, etc... are all in competition with each other. Sharing isn't part of the game they play.

I agree.... People like us who call it for what it really is are laughed at. Maybe some day everyone will wake up and smell what the government has been shoveling.

Originally posted by KnightFire
Maybe some day everyone will wake up and smell what the government has been shoveling.

No.

No, they most assuredly will not. Furthermore, even if they DO smell it, it will go uncontested.

ETA: Great post OP, it's a shame that, IMO, it's all in vain.

FBI already has backdoor access to internet and surveillance. How do you think they get people for copyright infringements, like all those movies with the FBI warning screen before the movie? They already have access. There already is software. The Internet providers are already cooperating fully with the FBI. It's how they make their money, how they got to be big corporations to begin with, they have their own little departments for writing detailed complaint forms to the FBI, I think it's called the legal department.

Then there is the Infragard movement, so maybe what's being pushed is the software for that, which I think is a ridiculous approach to making another layer of bureaucratic money. But I figure it's to avoid the NSA costs, that it's cheaper to do surveillance through regional costs than to buy the intel from the NSA as a client. They might as well be asking people to install a special toolbar that delivers oppressive "ve are vatching you" messages to the internet user. Maybe...It's a censoring net nanny, very official looking malware...eventually it will break and you're stuck with the mess. So much for protection.

About port readers, that's nothing compared to the wireless readers that will creep you out. I thought it was a Russian woodpecker device when I was being spied on, because of the phase noise, but it turned out to be one of those "Stingray" boxes. You know the boxes are stealthy but the field operators running them are the criminals. Snoopier is not always better.

Originally posted by alphabetaone

Originally posted by KnightFire
Maybe some day everyone will wake up and smell what the government has been shoveling.

No.

No, they most assuredly will not. Furthermore, even if they DO smell it, it will go uncontested.

ETA: Great post OP, it's a shame that, IMO, it's all in vain.

edit on 5-8-2013 by alphabetaone because: (no reason given)

I know. Wishful thinking on my part I guess.

Thanks for the great post comment. I felt the same about it being posted in vain the second I hit the post button.

Originally posted by KnightFire
Guess it's time to lock my router down even further. Port Readers are no joke.

edit on 4-8-2013 by KnightFire because: (no reason given)

Locking down your router is precisely the wrong move. It has been established in court that IP addresses are not people, though you can assume if only one person is tied to an IP address, that that person did those actions. The best defense is to open up your router. Get something with wide range and no wifi password, if you're in an apartment complex get a really high speed and split the bill with a neighbor. The more people on any given router, the less confidence they'll have in tying any specific activity to you individually. Especially if you then configure the router to not keep any logs.

Originally posted by Aazadan

Originally posted by KnightFire
Guess it's time to lock my router down even further. Port Readers are no joke.

edit on 4-8-2013 by KnightFire because: (no reason given)

Locking down your router is precisely the wrong move. It has been established in court that IP addresses are not people, though you can assume if only one person is tied to an IP address, that that person did those actions. The best defense is to open up your router. Get something with wide range and no wifi password, if you're in an apartment complex get a really high speed and split the bill with a neighbor. The more people on any given router, the less confidence they'll have in tying any specific activity to you individually. Especially if you then configure the router to not keep any logs.

I like your logic, but it would still come down to who is (leasing) paying for that IP Address. By locking down the ports, it will make it much harder for their software to scan my computer when I leave it running. to me that's more important than if they see I went out to Google and did a search on how to build a deck or what new movies are out this month.

Also, if need be I can spoof my IP Address and bounce it from many locations, if I don't want to be traced. Securing my personal data is most important to me.

This is what happens (eventually) when the vast majority of people who are using a given technology have no idea how it works. It's never more than a matter of time before someone in a position of authority decides to take advantage of the fact that few people actually know how any of this works. All they have to do then is hire some geeks (if they don't already have them at their disposal).

The vast majority of the time, said geeks are not going to be Snowdens. They'll do whatever they get paid to do. Since the average schmuck has no idea how his computer/internet connection actually works, he has no idea if his privacy is being violated at any given time. He just has to hope they aren't interested in his boring life.

Most likely, they aren't interested in most of us but then you have to consider we have no idea at all what they're really up to here or what they're really looking for. Are they looking for terrorists or are they looking for people who simply disagree with them? Are they only interested in preventing terrorism or do they have more ambitious plans? It is possible they intend to "profile" every citizen before all is said and done. For no real reason. Just because they want to and they can. I think that is what people really worry about.