U.S. court backs government broadband wiretap access

A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld the government’s authority to force high-speed internet service providers to give law enforcement authorities access for surveillance purposes.

Thank God they upheld the government’s authority: Now the Feds will be able to protect us from terrorists!

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a petition aimed at overturning a decision by regulators requiring facilities-based broadband providers and those that offer Internet telephone service to comply with U.S. wiretap laws.

Those who submitted the petition will probably be the first to have their communications monitored.

In a split decision, two of three judges on the panel concluded that the 2005 FCC requirement was a “reasonable policy choice” even though information services are exempted from the government’s wiretapping authority.

Of course it was a “reasonable policy choice”: It expands the government’s power.

The FCC has set a May 14, 2007, deadline for compliance, and the ruling drew praise from the FCC and the Justice Department, which sought the access.

“Today’s decision will ensure that technology does not impede the capabilities of law enforcement to provide for the safety and security of our nation,” the department said in a statement.

Because the right to privacy is a barrier to keeping the country safe. Oh, wait. No, it’s not. The Justice Department is using a tactic we in the tech world like to call FUD. FUD stands for “Fear, uncertainty, doubt,” and refers to the tactics companies employ in order to keep people from buying their competitors’ products.

The Justice Department is using FUD in order to convince people that privacy is not a right, that privacy is not necessary, that privacy is a barrier to their safety.

Sadly—and to the detriment of liberty in the United States—the Justice Department’s FUD has convinced many.

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