Isn't this just what the STASI secret police did in the GDR (Communist East Germany)? I wonder if the CIA and NSA hired some ex-STASI agents to help with this program, like the USA did with German rocket scientists to get to the moon.

Perhaps it's time to change the name of the nation to USSA: United Stasi States of America. (Not only looks like USSR, acts like USSR.)

Go ahead, I dare you to read my AES-256 encrypted gmail transfers!

So, they now have an automated method to distinguish between fact and fiction on the interweb tubes?

No? So, really we are talking about "after-the-fact" discovery of stuff rather than useful activity such as discovering, arresting, convicting and imprisoning real terrorists before they blow something up.

What battle ? Where are the protesters ? Where are the picket lines, the masses of people marching for privacy ?

Whither the blockaded streets ? The burning tires ? The molotov cocktails thrown in haste in the general direction of incoming stormtroopers ?

The battle never took place. Some asshole yelled "terrorist !" and everybody else carefully wrapped up their rights in a plastic bag and put it out with the trash for morning pick-up.

There could have been a battle, if enough people had had the guts to do it and the sense of its urgency.

But doing battle means leaving the sofa, the beer and the remote, actually going outside and, most uncomfortably, taking some responsibility. Maybe even taking some risks.

Apparently the citizens of the world think that staying on their comfy sofa is a higher priority than enforcing the respect of their privacy.

And, given that we live in a democracy, if the people want comfort over privacy, what's a government to do but give them their comfort and take their privacy ? After all, we have the democracy we deserve.

As if USA's puppet err canada's prime minister wouldn't already be in GW bush's pocket...

If this thing passes, every packet of members of the UNO that will go through USA's routers will be scrutinized. And that's a best case scenario, they'll probably just spy on EVERYTHING that will travel through their network.

Wake up ;).

Do we have a choice ? NO . Can we make a stand against these Fascist that are taking over ? Not alone.

" Google has records that could help in a cyber-investigation, he said.". Hmmmm remind the Scroogled story : http://radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2007/09/google_fiction_evil_dangerous_surveillance_control_1.php
Just have to wait some time :)

I don't think that living in EU or Canada will bring any help, if Google provide logs :
1) They can't refuse
2) They can't mention it

I suggest you to use obfuscation tools (SquiggleSR or TrackMeNot)

God, I hate my country..

Oh sh@%, the feds are coming for me now...

Even though I love INQ's stories and comments, I couldn't possibly have the time to read them all, because I'm a lowly paid bureaucrat.

I can't say this is a surprise, although I certainly expected people to be more up-in-arms about it.

One guy? 18 agencies? Very Scary stuff...

The battle for privacy has already been lost apparently...

Re: prev. comment by me:

Silly me, I forgot to mention I live in the Middle East...

:-)

Well nice try USA!!

In canada we have a little thing called the privacy act. If you think that you can watch what we do on the internet you are going to be in for a big surprise.

Also what the hell does a fukn 65 year old know about technology anyways... Another reason why I am glad that I do not live in the crapwhole known as the USA!!! 

Try it USA I dare you!!! ;)

Here are a few trace routes. They speak for them selves, really. Apologies for length:

[C:\]tracert pop.gmail.com

Tracing route to gmail-pop.l.google.com [209.85.163.109]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

5 x ms y ms z ms po1-0.nykcr1.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.254.213]
6 x ms y ms z ms teleglobe-3.GW.opentransit.net [193.251.249.58]
7 x ms y ms z ms if-13-0.mcore3.NJY-Newark.teleglobe.net [216.6.57.65]
8 x ms y ms z ms if-12-0-0-741.core4.AEQ-Ashburn.teleglobe.net [216.6.57.70]
9 x ms y ms z ms if-0-0-0.core3.AEQ-Ashburn.teleglobe.net [216.6.51.13]
10 x ms y ms z ms ix-12-2.core3.AEQ-Ashburn.teleglobe.net [63.243.149.102]
11 x ms y ms z ms 209.85.130.16
12 x ms y ms z ms 216.239.48.69
13 x ms y ms z ms 72.14.236.175
14 x ms y ms z ms 216.239.43.5
15 x ms y ms z ms el-in-f109.google.com [209.85.163.109]

Trace complete.

[C:\]tracert smtp.gmail.com

Tracing route to gmail-smtp.l.google.com [66.249.83.109]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

5 x ms y ms z ms po1-0.nykcr1.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.254.213]
6 x ms y ms z ms if-7-3.core1.NTO-NewYork.teleglobe.net [216.6.82.41]
7 x ms y ms z ms if-13-0.mcore3.NJY-Newark.teleglobe.net [216.6.57.65]
8 x ms y ms z ms if-12-0-0-741.core4.AEQ-Ashburn.teleglobe.net [216.6.57.70]
9 x ms y ms z ms if-0-0-0.core3.AEQ-Ashburn.teleglobe.net [216.6.51.13]
10 x ms y ms z ms ix-12-2.core3.AEQ-Ashburn.teleglobe.net [63.243.149.102]
11 x ms y ms z ms 209.85.130.18
12 x ms y ms z ms 66.249.95.149
13 x ms y ms z ms 72.14.232.147
14 x ms y ms z ms 72.14.238.170
15 x ms y ms z ms wx-in-f109.google.com [66.249.83.109]

Trace complete.

[C:\]tracert mail.yahoo.com

Tracing route to login.yahoo.akadns.net [69.147.112.160]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

5 x ms y ms z ms po3-2.nykbb3.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.248.149]
6 x ms y ms z ms po1-0.nykcr3.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.241.241]
7 x ms y ms z ms po10-0.ashcr2.Ashburn.opentransit.net [193.251.243.1]
8 x ms y ms z ms so-1-0-0-0.atlcr3.Atlanta.opentransit.net [193.251.240.154]
9 x ms y ms z ms tengige0-2-0-0.daltr1.Dallas.opentransit.net [193.251.241.22]
10 x ms y ms z ms te11-1.dalse1.Dallas.opentransit.net [193.251.241.21]
11 x ms y ms z ms UNKNOWN-216-115-102-153.yahoo.com [216.115.102.153]
12 x ms y ms z ms so-4-1-0.pat1.dce.yahoo.com [216.115.101.144]
13 x ms y ms z ms ge-3-1-0-p140.msr1.re1.yahoo.com [216.115.108.57]
14 x ms y ms z ms gi1-23.bas-a1.re3.yahoo.com [68.142.238.67]
15 x ms y ms z ms l2.login.vip.re3.yahoo.com [69.147.112.160]

Trace complete.

[C:\]tracert www.cfos.de

Tracing route to www.cfos.de [194.95.249.23]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

5 x ms y ms z ms po3-2.nykbb3.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.248.149]
6 x ms y ms z ms so4-0-0-622M.ar2.NYC1.gblx.net [208.50.13.85]
7 x ms y ms z ms te4-1-10GE.ar3.FRA3.gblx.net [67.17.110.5]
8 x ms y ms z ms zr-fra1-te0-7-0-7.x-win.dfn.de [188.1.145.49]
9 x ms y ms z ms xr-fzk1-te2-3.x-win.dfn.de [188.1.145.50]
10 x ms y ms z ms xr-stu1-te2-1.x-win.dfn.de [188.1.145.82]
11 x ms y ms z ms kr-sgs.x-win.dfn.de [188.1.230.46]
12 x ms y ms z ms www.cfos.de [194.95.249.23]

Trace complete.

[C:\]tracert www.msi.com.tw

Tracing route to www.msi.com.tw [211.20.189.51]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

5 x ms y ms z ms po3-2.nykbb3.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.248.149]
6 x ms y ms z ms po1-0.nykcr3.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.241.241]
7 x ms y ms z ms po6-0.palcr1.PaloAlto.opentransit.net [193.251.243.138]
8 x ms y ms z ms po0-0.palcr3.PaloAlto.opentransit.net [193.251.240.166]
9 x ms y ms z ms hinet.GW.opentransit.net [193.251.252.54]
10 x ms y ms z ms tp-s2-c12r31b.router.hinet.net [211.72.108.162]
11 x ms y ms z ms tp-crs11.router.hinet.net [220.128.1.189]
12 x ms y ms z ms tp-s2-c76r7.router.hinet.net [220.128.1.237]
13 x ms y ms z ms 211.22.41.61
14 x ms y ms z ms 211.20.176.133
15 x ms y ms z ms download.msi.com.tw [211.20.189.51]

Trace complete.

[C:\]tracert www.soltek.cn

Tracing route to www.soltek.cn [222.191.251.178]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

5 x ms y ms z ms po3-2.nykbb3.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.248.149]
6 x ms y ms z ms po1-0.nykcr3.NewYork.opentransit.net [193.251.241.241]
7 x ms y ms z ms po10-0.ashcr2.Ashburn.opentransit.net [193.251.243.1]
8 x ms y ms z ms gi0-0-0.ashcr1.Ashburn.opentransit.net [193.251.241.41]
9 x ms y ms z ms so-3-0-0-0.loacr1.LosAngeles.opentransit.net [193.251.243.145]
10 x ms y ms z ms chinatelecom-1.GW.opentransit.net [193.251.248.90]
11 x ms y ms z ms 202.97.49.157
12 x ms y ms z ms 202.97.51.117
13 x ms y ms z ms 202.97.33.13
14 x ms y ms z ms 202.97.39.142
15 x ms y ms z ms 58.215.66.130
16 x ms y ms z ms 58.215.66.46
17 x ms y ms z ms 58.215.64.1
18 x ms y ms z ms 203.191.144.10
19 x ms y ms z ms 222.191.251.178

Trace complete.

The truly sad part, this will only net and affect people who do not need monitoring. Seriously.... while the feds bust Johny and Mary for downloading music, movies and cooks and crackpots... the real terrorists who have a clue will be just fine.

until all wireless access is secure and not crackable in 7 minutes or less a terrorist just needs to drive into a apartment complex and voila- free access that doesn't trace back to him.

#1- terrorist drives to a college dorm

#2- terrorist pulls out a wireless usb stick and then hooks to the wireless lan. now we have a untraceable mac address on some unknowing slobs open wireless.

#3- the terrorist encodes his message into what-ever he decides with encryption that takes days,weeks or months to crack.

#4- uploads 10 copies. 1 real, 9 not....

#5- the terrorist destroys the wireless usb stick

#5- feds now stumped. with no way of catching the real terrorist... 

I can see the point of the bill.... but I can also see that any REAL terrorist will never be caught.

Most of the traffic from south america goes through the USA and then to the world. That means they will be sniffing our packets as well. Bah.

...the US Govt only has the equipment in place to monitor internet traffic within the USA?

Or has our beloved, non-elected leader, Gordon already signed that away to G Dubya? I doubt it, he's too busy signing everything away to Europe!