On Sunday, President Bush signed a law that expands the government’s surveillance abilities on foreign terrorist suspects. The new law is an expansion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and allows the government to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a warrant.
The surveillance can be approved by either the attorney general or the director of national intelligence.
By on 14/11/2011
SpyDialer.com has launched a new free website that lets users eavesdrop on the outgoing voicemail message of cell phones to learn who the user of the phone is. The free cell phone search has ignited concern about its use.
A controversial new website created by a Los Angeles private investigator has Internet users debating its use. The website, Spy Dialer, is a free cell phone search that lets users legally eavesdrop on the outbound voicemail message of any U.S. based cell phone number. Now, web users are asking, “Is it cool or is it creepy?”
By on 14/11/2011
On Sunday, President Bush signed a law that expands the government’s surveillance abilities on foreign terrorist suspects. The new law is an expansion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and allows the government to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a warrant.
The surveillance can be approved by either the attorney general or the director of national intelligence.
According to cnn.com, the bill was pushed by Bush after a court ruling maintained that warrants were needed to eavesdrop on overseas calls because many of these calls use U.S. call centers. The new law would allow intelligence agencies to eavesdrop on the calls of foreign terror suspects that pass through the U.S.
However, some people worry that this new law can lead to the possibility of eavesdropping on any U.S. citizen.
By on 08/11/2011
A retired Garda inspector has described investigations into the alleged interception of cross-border telephone calls between the RUC and Gardaí by the IRA, leading to the murder of two senior RUC officers.
Retired inspector Chris Kelly was asked to carry out an investigation in 2009 following an article that appeared in the Phoenix magazine, claiming that the IRA had a bug the organisation used to intercept phone calls between Dundalk garda station and the RUC over secure lines.
By on 03/11/2011
Lawyers who are made privy to the identity of police phone bugging and surveillance targets will face up to two years’ jail if they disclose the information, the Victorian government says.
The minister responsible for the establishment of an anti-corruption commission, Andrew McIntosh, has released the legislation setting up public interest monitors (PIMs).
The PIM, and his or her deputies, will attend court and tribunal hearings where police or Office of Police Integrity (OPI) representatives apply for permission to tap someone’s phone or track them using surveillance devices.
They will also appear at warrant applications made by the yet to be established Independent Broadbased Anti-Corruption Commission.
The draft law follows Ombudsman George Brouwer’s finding earlier this month that there was an accountability gap regarding telephone intercepts in Victoria.
He recommended the government develop measures to allow the merit of telecommunication intercepts to be assessed.
Mr McIntosh told the parliament the PIMs would be lawyers who would have to act independently and not be employed by the commonwealth, the state or the Office of Public Prosecutions.
They would attend application hearings in the courts where they would have the right to question warrant applicants and have access to a copy of the application and any affidavit.
If a PIM disclosed the sensitive information to others they would face two years’ jail.
Mr McIntosh said last year alone Victoria Police and the OPI made 424 applications for telecommunications interception warrants and all had been granted.
It was a similar situation with surveillance device warrants.
“Covert investigation and coercive powers, such as surveillance devices (and) telecommunications interceptions … are among the most intrusive powers available to integrity and law enforcement bodies in Victoria,” he said.
“Strong accountability measures should exist for the use of such significant powers.”
The legislation will be debated in the lower house next month.
By on 03/11/2011