There is more than just a call for more broadband in the Obama web policy. Currently, the Obama administration and law enforcement and security agencies are pushing for new regulations of the Internet and the telecommunications industry. If these new laws pass, it will grant the government greater access for surveillance purposes. There are few methods of electronic communication that aren’t already under monitoring. This will shorten that list even further.
Brand new Obama internet style
There is a bill that is planned for next year, according to the NY Times, that will expand wiretap and surveillance powers for law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The Obama administration is behind the bill, which is due next year. The bill will mandate that all methods of communication be intended to allow federal surveillance. Some forms of digital communications are private and encrypted, while many others are not secret at all to the government.
Harmful to designers
Though this law would certainly favor large corporations that have the engineering staff to deal with new specifications, startup tech companies will be at a disadvantage. Research In Motion does not even have access to the private and encrypted transmissions from the Blackberry, which led to bans of the phone in some countries. RIM is in the process of complying with surveillance requirements of several governments, and businesses such as Skype and other VOIP, or voice over web protocol, corporations can have to re-engineer their products to regulatory standards. Regulation enforcement and intelligence services do rely on monitored communication to catch criminals, and as a result of the decreased access, have seen their capabilities “going dark” to do their jobs.
Loose mouth
There are few methods of communication, apart from speaking in person, that aren’t subject to domestic surveillance. Granted, Obama has not had a scandal comparable to the Bush domestic spying controversies. legitimate threats to public safety that could be dealt with by this legislation, and the government insists it’s not overstepping its authority by asking for the access. You will find people that do pose a threat to public safety that can be caught using these methods. However, this kind of power is easily misused.
Citations
NY Times
nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27wiretap.html?pagewanted=1
