Turf battles between the DEA, FBI, CIA, NSA, the old BATF, Customs, Coast Guard and local law enforcement have been around for years. It’s the old, whose got a bigger pair of B&^*S, but now on the surface, an even bigger battle is brewing. It’s between the FCC and both the FBI and the DEA (who seem to be on the same side this time).
Seems the two investigative groups are rightfully very concerned about VoIP and encrypted conversations.
While I have no doubt that the NSA and CIA have high level cracking capability to listen in on VoIP that is currently being deployed, I do sense that thier brothers in crime prevention likely don’t. Either that, or if they do, a page has been taken out of the old KGB playbook call disinvestia or disinformation.
Oddly, Tom Ridge’s group, Homeland Security is not complaining about this problem. That makes me wonder more if the ability to snoop isn’t really as big of a problem as some of the agencies are making it out to be and using groups like the ACLU who will get very concerned about privacy matters to throw off the scent of reality…..
Stay Connected,
Andy Abramson