US feds want to tap the internet

The FBI is pushing for the introduction of new rules that would legalise the tapping of phone calls placed over the internet.

In the absence of such rules, the Feds claim that Voice over IP (VoIP) offers terrorists and other 'enemies of the state' a means to dodge the more 'legitimate' wire taps that can be placed on traditional phone lines.

The Bureau is now taking steps to force broadband ISPs to provide better surveillance facilities to stop what they call a "trend that offers increasing opportunities for terrorists, spies and criminals to evade lawful electronic surveillance".

The FBI can currently get court orders to monitor specific broadband users through its DCS1000 system, also known as Carnivore, but the FBI fears that unless better surveillance hubs are installed, individuals will be able to outwit, or at least complicate, their monitoring techniques.

And it would seem truth is stranger than fiction in the tech world. As part of silicon.com's investigation into popular IT myths, we looked into rumours that government agencies tap all transatlantic phone calls, listening out for potentially incriminating phrases.

While the conclusion was that blanket eavesdropping is unlikely, now it would appear the FBI is keen to take fresh strides in that direction. Authorities across the pond are stepping up their web-based surveillance and wire tapping, they say, in order to counter terrorism.

So is it just criminals who should be beware who's listening in? Apparently not.

Given the complexity of installing the level of surveillance the FBI is after, ISPs may not be able to isolate specific calls that merit eavesdropping – in which case, the providers will have to give the authorities access to the 'full pipe' which includes the complete simultaneous communications of hundreds or thousands of users.

One suggestion put forward to explain the FBI's latest strategy is it's not just VoIP they're after. Isolating just the voice elements of broadband use is tricky, giving the FBI a legitimate – and much easier - way to tap other web-based communication, including email, how users are browsing the web and instant messaging services, on the back of monitoring VoIP. Conspiracy theorists and privacy campaigners are already worried about the implications.

The FBI's proposals are currently still under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission.

News.com's Declan McCullagh contributed to this report.