The FBI has made a proposal to the FCC that would require all Internet Providers to rewire their current system in order to make wiretapping accessible to the FBI. Experts claim that if the new proposal were to pass, MSN Messenger, Xbox Live and any voice over Internet protocol would be accessible for wiretapping.
The 85-page filing includes language that could be interpreted as forcing companies to build backdoors into everything from instant messaging and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) programs to Microsoft’s Xbox Live game service. New services that do not support a backdoor for the police would become illegal, and companies would be given 15 months to make sure that existing services comply.
It’s still a proposal so the FCC still has to decide if they will approve the draft or not. But given the fact that the current Bush administration support eavesdropping, the FCC will take it very seriously.
I think just like Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, so I will quote what he said about this issue: “I don’t think it’s a reasonable claim. The FCC should seriously consider where the FBI believes its authority [...] to regulate new technologies would end. What about Bluetooth and USB?”
Also, why should a domestic entity like the FBI be allowed to inspect an international network like the internet?
For people wanting to secure their instant messages, I recommend Simp Lite for MSN Messenger.
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