I may have faults, but being wrong ain't one of them - Jimmy Hoffa
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ISPs and telcos too keen to help the FBI with its enquiries
US ISPS AND TELCOS were so keen on helping the FBI catch terrorists they were rolling over and handing over personal data on a nod and a wink.
A damning report by the US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General has said that the FBI was so cavalier that a verbal request or even one scribbled on a post-it note was enough for operators to hand over customer phone records.
According to PC World, the report about the FBI's antics from 2002 through 2006 found that in many cases the FBI issued written requests for telephone information, saying that it had secured the proper legal authority to make such requests, even though it hadn't.
Sometimes it had a novel technique of just asking for the data and in several cases merely scribbled a request down on a post-it note.
When the FBI did use formal written requests, it did not track their use or keep copies of them.
When asked why they responded so quickly to informal FBI requests the telcos and ISPs said that they thought that the requests were based on a critical national security investigation and they were playing their part in defending the country.
It turns out that sometimes the employees were so keen to stick one to the terrorists they were filling in the officer's paperwork for them.
However the Feds were not just looking for information on the cute blonde who worked in accounts. They were also pulling the phone records of hacks from the Washington Post and the New York Times without complying with relevant laws.
More about this here.
The report said that the FBI's acquisition of these records constituted a complete breakdown in the required department procedures for approving the issuance of grand jury subpoenas to obtain reporters' toll billing records.
When the US Department of Justice complained about the FBI's phone record request policies the agency made only halfhearted attempts to address the problem, the report said.
Apparently things got better in 2007 when the FBI realised that its 'we can do anything if we can link it to terrorists' policy was starting to wear a bit thin. µ
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..terrorists would also be able to gather information using the same method, and use it to better coordinate and carry out attacks.
Short sightedness at its best.
lolamerica, supposed land of the free. enjoy your FBI.
In the colonial US, you could pretty much get any woman killed by claiming she was a witch. Funny how we've gone back to such a barbaric period.
Remember, surrender your civil liberties, or else the terrorists win.