National Intelligence Director Wants Access To All Internet Communications

from the you-have-no-privacy-anywhere dept

Now, there are those who claim the government already has the ability to monitor all internet communications, but it looks like it's about to become official. National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell told a reporter from The New Yorker that he's prepared a "cyber security policy" that would grant the federal government the right to monitor all internet communications. The report also notes that President Bush hasn't yet announced this policy. The reporter from the New Yorker states: "it may be the only way to protect transportation, security, and other critical systems that rely on the Internet." That is a bizarre statement that seems totally unsupportable. It almost goes without saying, but the old (supposedly) Ben Franklin quote applies: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." It's also not clear from this report whether this is just a policy or an actual system for monitoring internet content -- as that makes quite a big difference. Either way, expect to see more people become a lot more interested in encrypting their communications soon.

Filed Under: government, internet, mike mcconnell, privacy