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Is CALEA Reasonable?

INRM

Philosopher
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Jul 24, 2002
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Recently, the government has been pushing to require servers, and wireless phones to be made more wiretap friendly. While most people seem to think that requirements around wiretap friendliness started after 9/11, the requirements actually first started with CALEA, which stands for Communications Assistence for Law-Enforcement Agencies. It was created in 1994, and among other things, it requires telecommunications carriers to carry built-in surveillance capabilities.

I understand that telecommunications companies should cooperate with law-enforcement during lawful investigations (i.e. with a warrant, and probable cause), but I'm wondering if the particulars of this law are reasonable to begin with?


INRM
Hope I don't have a heart-attack or disappear or something
 
I'm hoping to help eliminate a lot of this personal security intrusion. I tape every call I make as well as any conversations I have (including those when I talk to myself*). I then use speech recognition software to create files and send them directly to the NSA. I create files as it's easier to index them for searching.



*Out loud. At this point I haven't decided if the NSA should know what I say to myself silently.
 
Definitely unreasonable. In many ways it interferes with the communications system efficiency and security, and turns everything on its head.

The phone system exists primarily for the benefit of the customers, and the business model of the companies supplying the service. It is not, nor should it be configured to be, a tool optimized for government fishing expeditions.

Warrants notwithstanding, the design of the system should not be predicated around government convenience.
 
I was thinking about an idea. Why not write to the ACLU, the EFF, and EPIC, and ask about the feasibility of challenging the legality of CALEA, or ask them if it would be feasible to start petitions up to repeal the law?

I don't know if it would be successful, but considering the government is pushing one way, pushing the opposite way might blunt the effort. Of course they might push even harder in their direction, but the trick would be to NOT attempt to compromise, but to remain rigid (If any of you want an explanation for why this is so, I'll explain)
 
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