News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMinesecuritybigbrotherspying — Viewing Item


Fbi domestic eavesdropping ability unprecedented { August 30 2007 }

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/30/AR2007083001576.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/30/AR2007083001576.html

FBI Surveillance: It's Come a Long Way

By JOHN DUNBAR
The Associated Press
Thursday, August 30, 2007; 6:43 PM

WASHINGTON -- The FBI disclosed new details about its secretive technology for tracing telephone calls and recording conversations during criminal, terrorism and espionage investigations, custom-made tools it has developed quietly for a decade.

Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal the government has come a long way since the days of alligator clips and reel-to-reel tape recorders when it comes to its surveillance techniques.

In hundreds of heavily censored pages, the FBI described in unprecedented detail a sophisticated surveillance system known as the Digital Collection System Network. It includes programs to record information about telephone calls _ such as the number called and the duration of the call _ made by surveillance targets and another program called Digital Storm to record conversations.

Many of the documents were marked "for official use only."

Some of the FBI files describe the security risks that outsiders might gain access to the bureau's eavesdropping tools. The FBI said part of its surveillance system is tightly guarded, physically against intruders and electronically against hackers.

Steve Bellovin, a security expert and computer science professor at Columbia University, describes the system as "basically a control terminal" for the agency's various surveillance taps.

He said the biggest threat would be not from hackers but from inside. "Can it be abused by rogue agents?" he asked.

In files describing the operation of the call-tracing system, known as the DCS-3000, the FBI acknowledged that rogue agents or spies represent the gravest threat.

"As with most information systems, the greatest threat to the DCS 3000 would come from the inside," the FBI said. "Since they have access to the system at various levels, users could damage, alter or erase data and destroy system hardware and software. They could also use the information gathered by it for profit by passing on the collected information or by alerting those being monitored."

"We go to great lengths to make sure the system is secure," said Anthony DiClemente, section chief of the data acquisition and intercept section at the FBI. Access is limited, and the system itself is kept "in a locked room," he said.

The FBI was forced by a federal judge to give the files to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based civil liberties group, which requested them under the Freedom of Information Act more than one year ago.

___

On the Net:

FBI files sought by EFF: http://www.eff.org/flag/061708CKK/
© 2007 The Associated Press



denver-police
Agencies live tracking with mobile phones { December 10 2005 }
Americans want bush to get warrant to eavesdrop
Biloxi miss students watched web cam
Broad wiretap powers
Bush approved purely domestic easedropping { April 6 2006 }
Bush renames domestic spying to terror surveillance { January 25 2006 }
Bush secretly allowed nsa domestic spying { December 15 2005 }
Cameras dc { February 13 2002 }
Cia role inside usa greater
Denver police spying journalists { February 4 2003 }
Domestic spying { November 16 2002 }
Fbi docs call kerry tactical conservative among antiwar veterans
Fbi domestic eavesdropping ability unprecedented { August 30 2007 }
Fbi inches toward spy role { December 1 2003 }
Fbi scritinizes antiwar rallies { November 23 2003 }
Fbi spied on kerry in 70s report says
Fbi spies on religious organizations
Fbi tracked kerry in vietnam vets group { March 23 2004 }
Feeble attorney general forced to authorize wiretapping { August 17 2007 }
Iraqis monitored { November 17 2002 }
Judge allows gps tracking data { February 18 2004 }
Judge rules against fbi stealing telecom records { September 7 2007 }
Judge rules against unconstitutional nsa wiretaps { August 18 2006 }
Miami police secretly watching hiphop celebs { March 10 2004 }
Most suspects of nsa surveillance cleared { February 5 2006 }
Navy uses blimps spying { August 7 2003 }
Newyork more wiretaps than anywhere else
Nsa seeking phone records before 911
Nsa whisteblower to testify before congress { January 5 2006 }
Nypd surveillance rules { September 26 2002 }
Pentagon intelligence agency gathers domestic intelligence
Pentagon seek to expand intelligence collecting { December 19 2004 }
Pentagon viewing american bank records { December 2007 }
Pilotless plane civilian airspace
Police may seach parked cars
Police spying organizations { November 29 2002 }
Police step up anti war monitoring { November 16 2003 }
Police use gps tracking { May 12 2003 }
Pressure building in US for increased surveillance
Republican senator angry at cheney on nsa eavesdropping { June 7 2006 }
Secret pentagon letters used for domestic spying { October 14 2007 }
Smart cards track commuters { September 25 2003 }
Sprint mci att helped nsa wiretapping
Spy imagery agency takes new role inside united states { September 26 2004 }
Surveillance court caves { November 22 2002 }
Surveillance industrial complex emerges { August 11 2004 }
Surveillance wins backers after bush defends program
Unveal surveillance
Us steps up surveillance { March 24 2003 }

Files Listed: 49



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple