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Re: [IP] Feds: VoIP a potential haven for terrorists
Clearly, if we get VoIP peering working, the terrorists win. Or something
like that.
- Dan
On 6/18/04 9:31 AM, "Gregory Hicks" <ghicks@cadence.com> wrote:
> FYI...
>
> ------------- Begin Forwarded Message -------------
>
> To: Ip <ip@v2.listbox.com>
> From: David Farber <dave@farber.net>
> Subject: [IP] Feds: VoIP a potential haven for terrorists
> Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2004 09:10:19 -0400
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> This story was printed from ZDNN,
> located at http://www.zdnn.com.
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Feds: VoIP a potential haven for terrorists
> By Declan McCullagh
> CNET News.com
> June 16, 2004, 10:54 AM PT
> URL: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5236233.html
>
> WASHINGTON--The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday lashed out at
> Internet telephony, saying the fast-growing technology could foster
> "drug trafficking, organized crime and terrorism."
>
> Laura Parsky, a deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice
> Department, told a Senate panel that law enforcement bodies are deeply
> worried about their ability to wiretap conversations that use voice
> over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.
>
> "I am here to underscore how very important it is that this type of
> telephone service not become a haven for criminals, terrorists and
> spies," Parsky said. "Access to telephone service, regardless of how it
> is transmitted, is a highly valuable law enforcement tool."
>
> Police been able to conduct Internet wiretaps for at least a decade,
> and the FBI's controversial Carnivore (also called DCS1000) system was
> designed to facilitate online surveillance. But Parsky said that
> discerning "what the specific (VoIP) protocols are and how law
> enforcement can extract just the specific information" are difficult
> problems that could be solved by Congress requiring all VoIP providers
> to build in backdoors for police surveillance.
>
> The Bush administration's request was met with some skepticism from
> members of the Senate Commerce committee, who suggested that it was too
> soon to impose such weighty regulations on the fledgling VoIP
> industry. Such rules already apply to old-fashioned telephone
> networks, thanks to a 1994 law called the Communications Assistance for
> Law Enforcement Act (CALEA).
>
> "What you need to do is convince us first on a bipartisan basis that
> there's a problem here," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. "I would like to
> hear specific examples of what you can't do now and where the law falls
> short. You're looking now for a remedy for a problem that has not been
> documented."
>
>
> Wednesday's hearing was the first to focus on a bill called the VoIP
> Regulatory Freedom Act, sponsored by Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H. It would
> ban state governments from regulating or taxing VoIP connections. It
> also says that VoIP companies that connect to the public telephone
> network may be required to follow CALEA rules, which would make it
> easier for agencies to wiretap such phone calls.
>
> The Justice Department's objection to the bill is twofold: Its wording
> leaves too much discretion with the Federal Communications Commission,
> Parsky argued, and it does not impose wiretapping requirements on
> Internet-only VoIP networks that do not touch the existing phone
> network, such as Pulver.com's Free World Dialup.
>
> "It is even more critical today than (when CALEA was enacted in 1994)
> that advances in communications technology not provide a haven for
> criminal activity and an undetectable means of death and destruction,"
> Parsky said.
>
> Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., wondered if it was too early to order
> VoIP firms to be wiretap-friendly by extending CALEA's rules. "Are we
> premature in trying to tie all of this down?" he asked. "The technology
> shift is so rapid and so vast."
>
> The Senate's action comes as the FCC considers a request submitted in
> March by the FBI. If the request is approved, all broadband Internet
> providers--including companies using cable and digital subscriber line
> technology--will be required to rewire their networks to support easy
> wiretapping by police.
>
> Wednesday's hearing also touched on which regulations covering 911 and
> "universal service" should apply to VoIP providers. The Sununu bill
> would require the FCC to levy universal service fees on Internet phone
> calls, with the proceeds to be redirected to provide discounted analog
> phone service to low-income and rural American households.
>
> One point of contention was whether states and counties could levy
> taxes on VoIP connections to support services such as 911 emergency
> calling. Because of that concern, "I would not support the bill as
> drafted and I hope we would not mark up legislation at this point,"
> said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
>
> Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., added: "The marketplace does not always
> provide for critical services such as emergency response, particularly
> in rural America. We must give Americans the peace of mind they
> deserve."
>
> Some VoIP companies, however, have announced plans to support 911
> calling. In addition, Internet-based phone networks have the potential
> to offer far more useful information about people who make an emergency
> call than analog systems do.
>
> <http://zdnet.com.com/2102-1105_2-5236233.html?tag=printthis>
>
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> Gregory Hicks | Principal Systems Engineer
> Cadence Design Systems | Direct: 408.576.3609
> 555 River Oaks Pkwy M/S 6B1 | Fax: 408.894.3479
> San Jose, CA 95134 | Internet: ghicks@cadence.com
>
> I am perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes. I will surely
> learn a great deal today.
>
> "A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for
> lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the results of the
> decision." - Benjamin Franklin
>
> "The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they
> be properly armed." --Alexander Hamilton
>
>
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Daniel Golding
Network and Telecommunications Strategies
Burton Group
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