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Big Brother surfing your internet connection

Photo credited to Reuters

The creep of government into everyone's daily use of the internet continues. The pretext is always said to be the threat from terrorism and crime. It's a dubious and questionable argument, all things considered. Then again, there is the ever usual tussle of freedom as against the wider issue of security for a community. One can be confident in saying that if the US adopts what is reported below that other countries will follow.

CommonDreams [republishing an Associated Press article] reports on the latest threat to snooping into our use of the internet and communication in general:

"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.

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. (REUTERS/Stringer)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."

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