What do you think of the Obama White House’s new Internet wiretapping bill?

Question by _______: What do you think of the Obama White House’s new Internet wiretapping bill?
Isn’t this exactly the kind of stuff people DIDN’T like Bush for (Patriot Act, wiretapping, etc.)? So they voted for “change”, right?

This would appear to be an attempt at a broad expansion of the FBI’s ability to basically collect whatever information they want whenever they want it. (Let’s not forget how this power to wiretap phones has already been heavily abused).

What do you think?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_hi_te/us_internet_wiretaps

Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on Internet and e-mail communications like social networking Web sites and BlackBerries, The New York Times reported Monday.

The newspaper said the White House plans to submit a bill next year that would require all online services that enable communications to be technically equipped to comply with a wiretap order. That would include providers of encrypted e-mail, such as BlackBerry, networking sites like Facebook and direct communication services like Skype.

Federal law enforcement and national security officials say new the regulations are needed because terrorists and criminals are increasingly giving up their phones to communicate online.

“We’re talking about lawfully authorized intercepts,” said FBI lawyer Valerie E. Caproni. “We’re not talking about expanding authority. We’re talking about preserving our ability to execute our existing authority in order to protect the public safety and national security.”…………James Dempsey, the vice president of the Center for Democracy and Technology, an Internet policy group, said the new regulations would have “huge implications.”

“They basically want to turn back the clock and make Internet services function the way that the telephone system used to function,” he told the Times.
colleen………….lol

So they want internet companies to make it so the federal govt. can tap them. You don’t think once the companies are forced to provide tappable internet communications the govt. won’t abuse it? Keep dreaming.. This country has obviously learned nothing.

Best answer:

Answer by ColleenIsBack
No, not at all the same as Bush. The difference is that Bush authorized the National Security Agency to conduct ILLEGAL wiretaps without court order. The NSA program was so illegal that half of his Justice Department was going to resign over it. This Administration is proposing that internet providers be required to have the capability to grant access for LEGAL, authorized intercepts just like phone companies do presently. Would be nice if you got your facts straight. How quickly we forget. See link below.

Either all communications providers should be subject to granting governmental access to their systems for purposes of legal intercepts or none should be. Would you argue that none should be and that the FBI should not be able to tap suspected terrorists and criminals? Hmmm.

Of course there will always be abuse and that is why court orders should be absolutely necessary. That isn’t even perfect but it helps. It was the Bush Administration which tried to argue that they could do it without judicial permission and sidestepping FISA requirements.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!