Sunday, November 27, 2005

Going too far?

While its no secret that law enforcement may request wire taps on internet services, the FCC wants to take it one step farther. The title link goes to a story detailing a new movie by the government to make it extraordinarly easy to access information flowing over the web. The premise for this particular action is to assist the department of homeland security in investigating and stopping terrorists. The other side of the coin is the privacy rights of the average individual. How far do we have to go before these regulations provide the government with the power to watch over every individual regardless of whether they are breaking the law? One relevant question is whether intangible information like electronic paper qualifies as papers or effects under the Fourth Amendment. Moreover, this seems like it could open the door to outrageous restrictions on the First Amendment if the government decides to get into the business of censoring the internet. Arguably this has already happened with broad statutes that aim to protect children. This can't stand, call your congress-person.

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