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Library and Education Groups Oppose Internet WiretapsThe American Library Association and 13 other library and education groups filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) April 12 opposing a petition by the Department of Justice to bring all broadband access to the Internet within the scope of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). If the DOJ request is approved, all broadband providers would be required to rewire their networks to make it easier for law-enforcement agents to perform wiretaps. CALEA was passed in October 1994 to obligate telecommunications carriers to assist law enforcement in executing court-authorized electronic surveillance, such as wiretapping. In March, the DOJ, the FBI, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency petitioned the FCC to expand the coverage and strengthen the enforcement of CALEA. The groups’ comments state that if the petition is granted, “innovation will be threatened, privacy diminished, and unnecessary costs imposed” on libraries and campuses that provide broadband connectivity. The groups also maintain that the expansion of CALEA could hinder the efficiency and security of existing applications and could require libraries to collect and retain more personally identifiable information about patron use, which would then be subject to requests under the USA Patriot Act. “To broaden the coverage of CALEA would clearly violate the intent and direct wording of the law as passed by Congress,” said Rick Weingarten, head of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy. “Expanding CALEA would be a step toward regulating the Internet; and the expansion of CALEA would threaten the clear line the FCC has drawn between regulated and unregulated services.” “This is a critical issue that has potentially devastating effects on the services that academic and research libraries provide to thousands of faculty and students across the country,” added Tyrone Cannon, president of ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries division. Posted April 23, 2004. |
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