FBI Wants Telecom Companies To Install Surveillance Software - 9/11

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:32:13 GMT

WASHINGTON - The Federal Bureau of Investigation says the proliferation of telecommunications services is harming its ability to tap into criminal suspects' communications, and it wants phone companies to make changes in their networks to improve surveillance. The demands to add software and equipment have roiled the industry, which estimates it will cost more than $1 billion to comply with the FBI requirements, said Albert Gidari, a telecommunications lawyer at Perkins Coie LLP in Seattle, who has represented wireless companies on surveillance issues. The demands, he said, are mind-boggling. Several industry officials said the FBI essentially wants direct access to voice communications, as the bureau now has with e-mail through the snooping technology known as Carnivore. An FBI spokesman declined to comment on the matter.