[2955] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Cisco backs backdoor for Internet wiretaps
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Declan McCullagh)
Tue Jul 14 13:51:07 1998
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 10:06:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
To: cryptography@c2.net
http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/article/0,2334,14025,00.html
TIME.com / The Netly News
July 14, 1998
Cisco Backs Backdoor for Internet Wiretaps
By Declan McCullagh (declan@well.com)
Yesterday Cisco Systems announced a new plan to include "private
doorbells" in its routers. The company says it's a great way to
protect everyone's personal information online. So why are privacy
groups crying foul?
The approach made public yesterday by 13 of the largest technology
firms will lead to an Internet that's easily wiretappable -- it's the
online equivalent of the reviled Digital Telephony (CALEA) law planned
for the phone system. Currently, when law enforcement agents want to
snoop on you online (let's assume they've got a court order), they're
in for a rather difficult time. Reading your e-mail is one thing. But
knowing what you're doing every minute? "Unless the industry provides
them with a way to do it, it's not clear they could," admits Dan
Scheinman, Cisco's vice president of legal and government affairs.
[...remainder snipped...]
