
Can they really? The matrix is a big place...
The FBI is trying to convince the government to mandate that providers of broadband, Internet telephony, and instant-messaging services build in backdoors for easy wiretapping.
That would constitute a sweeping expansion of police surveillance powers. Instead of asking Congress to approve the request, the FBI (along with the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration) are pressing the Federal Communications Commission to move forward with minimal public input.
Ref. https://news.com.com/2010-1028-5193750.html
I doubt they could really track everyone since the net is too huge to pick up every little word, not to mention encoded words. I can see this for controlled monitoring, but you would have to know the ISP of a criminal and their account, etc.
This offends me on so many levels... "minimal public input" indeed. The sad part is, they'll do it and get away with it and there will be no public outcry because of the general apathy of most US Americans. They will give up their privacy for what they esteem to be "safety" -- and that's just sad.
Roz
In Australia, the government has just brought in legislation to intercept E-mails, SMS messages and a whole load of other privacy violations. And the reason? To fight the war on terror of course.
The truly scary part about making definite backdoors as they say in programs for police procedures and wire tapping ect. is that there are already so many people that can hack into your system and watch everything you do as it is. Making security holes rather than fixing the ones that are already there seems to stupid to me. This just makes it easier for hackers and virus writers (cyber terrorists) to attack your system as well as so many other systems in the world. My rant is only this..... (Privacy Act!)