Carnivore: The Power Of FBI Surveillance
Abstract: This paper provides an analysis of the privacy issues associated with governmental Internet surveillance, with a focus on the recently disclosed FBI tool known as Carnivore. It concludes that, while some system of surveillance is necessary, more mechanisms to prevent abuse of privacy must exist.
Communication surveillance has been a controversial issue in the US since the 1920's, when the Supreme Court deemed unwarranted wiretaps legitimate in the case of Olmstead v United States. Since telephone wires ran over public grounds, and the property of Olmstead was not physically violated, the wiretap was upheld as lawful. However, the Supreme Court overturned this ruling in 1967 in the landmark case of Katz v United States. On the basis of the fourth amendment, the court established that individuals have the right to privacy of communication, and that wiretapping is unconstitutional unless it is authorized by a search warrant. [Bowyer, 142-143] Since then, the right to communication privacy has become accepted as an integral facet of the American deontological code of ethics. The FBI has made an at least perfunctory effort to respect the public's demand for Internet privacy with its new Internet surveillance system, Carnivore. However, the current implementation of Carnivore unnecessarily jeopardizes the privacy of innocent individuals.
There is considerable utilitarian value in extending privacy rights to the Internet. The fear that communication is being monitored by a third party inevitably leads to inefficiency, because individuals feel a need to find loopholes in the surveillance. For instance, if the public does not feel comfortable with communica...
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... best way to establish this balance of power is by requiring the FBI to have the ISP's perform the searches themselves.
Works Cited
Kevin W. Bowyer. "Ethics And Computing". IEEE Press, New York. 2001. (142-143).
Patrick Ross. News.com. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2713029.html September 2000
Patrick Riley. Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/national/071100/carnivore.sml July 11th, 2000
Donald M. Kerr. FBI. http://www.fbi.gov/pressrm/congress/congress00/kerr090600.htm September 6th, 2000
IITRI. http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/publications/carnivore_draft_1.pdf November 17th, 2000.
Thomas C. Greene. The Register http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/15591.html December 19th, 2000
Chris Oakes. Wired News. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,37470,00.html July 12th, 2000
Is Big Brother watching our every computer move? Is the government (FBI, specifically) reading and filtering our email and where we go on the web? According to the critics of the FBI’s new CARNIVORE program, the answer is a resounding “yes”. However, according to FBI spokesperson John Collingwood (in a letter to the LA Times on August 7, 2000), CARNIVORE is not a government-backed spy program to invade the privacy of US citizens--it is an effective weapon (similar to phone taps) in the war against crime.
Stokesbury, James L. A Short History of the American Revolution. William Morrow and Company, Inc. New York, 1991.
Edward Snowden is America’s most recent controversial figure. People can’t decide if he is their hero or traitor. Nevertheless, his leaks on the U.S. government surveillance program, PRISM, demand an explanation. Many American citizens have been enraged by the thought of the government tracing their telecommunication systems. According to factbrowser.com 54% of internet users would rather have more online privacy, even at the risk of security (Facts Tagged with Privacy). They say it is an infringement on their privacy rights of the constitution. However, some of them don’t mind; they believe it will help thwart the acts of terrorists. Both sides make a good point, but the inevitable future is one where the government is adapting as technology is changing. In order for us to continue living in the new digital decade, we must accept the government’s ability to surveil us.
Few individuals have been able to change the ideals of others; Adolph Hitler was one such individual. His worldly impact began in the 1920’s and continues today. He is associated with both chaos and the complete destruction of many innocent lives. Hitler’s ideology developed when an economic collapse occurred in Germany. He offered ideas to the desperate people of Germany that they could not refuse. These ideas are responsible for the beginning of Western Racism, the singling out of a specific race as inferior. He also has been called the eliminator of the entire Jewish population. One must ask why the German people eagerly welcomed his radical ideas. World-renowned Hitler biographer Alan Bullock expresses the problem with understanding the madness of Hitler in his statement "The more I learn about Hitler the harder I find it to explain." To find an explanation for Hitler’s madness the first question to be answered is; "When did it begin?"
Lancaster, Bruce, J. H. Plumb, and Richard M. Ketchum. The American Heritage History of the American Revolution. New York: Bonanza, 1984. Print.
The government definitely needs to have some control of the Internet. They need to have control in order to stop criminals from using the Internet. The FBI’s position on Carnivore is outlined in Donald M. Kerr’s congressional statement made before a Senate committee that was reviewing the FBI’s Carnivore system. In a congressional statement made by Donald Kerr who is the Assistant Director of the Laboratory Division for the FBI, Kerr explains terrorists, spies, hackers, and criminals used computers and the Internet with malicious intent. Another reason the FBI feels that they need Carnivore is to combat information warfare, fraud, and other various crimes on the Internet. I believe that Carnivore will help the FBI to prevent some of the crime on the Internet. There is no way for any government to completely prevent any crime on the Internet. I rather have some government control than a lawless Internet. At least this way, I would know who would be violating my privacy.
...tive. You cannot have war without sacrifices and using an Atomic Bomb proves it. Dropping the bomb was the only option with the least amount backfire that would occur. This decision was like a double edged sword and dropping the bomb on civilians was the sacrifice that we made. The bomb did save lives in the end, not having to have more war and just simply to end it was why chose to end the war that way. Although we had to drop the bomb, the lives of the people that were taken by the bomb were not in vain. Continuation of the war was only going to cause twice as more of death than what the bomb had done. Sometimes you need to go to a certain extent to have something accomplished especially in war. Whether it be to kill innocents by a bomb or having to tear families apart by sending their loved ones overseas those are the consequences of war, those are sacrifices.
...e atomic bomb on Japan was extremely controversial it ultimately ended in America’s favor when Japan surrendered. According to Karl Compton, “it was not one atomic bomb, or two, which brought the surrender; it was the experience of what an atomic bomb will actually do to a community, plus the dread of many more, that was effective.” Hiroshima and Nagasaki will always serve as a reminder of the tremendous effects powerful weapons can have on a country. America consciously decided to seize Japanese lives in order to save American lives. The attack effected Japan in a massive amount of negative ways but the outcome of the atomic bomb did create positive effects for America. The devastation generated by the atomic bomb will never be forgotten by citizens worldwide. “The atomic bomb was more than a weapon of terrible destruction; it was a psychological weapon.” (Stimson)
The personal connection Americans have with their phones, tablets, and computers; and the rising popularity of online shopping and social websites due to the massive influence the social media has on Americans, it is clear why this generation is called the Information Age, also known as Digital Age. With the Internet being a huge part of our lives, more and more personal data is being made available, because of our ever-increasing dependence and use of the Internet on our phones, tablets, and computers. Some corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; governments, and other third parties have been tracking our internet use and acquiring data in order to provide personalized services and advertisements for consumers. Many American such as Nicholas Carr who wrote the article “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers,” Anil Dagar who wrote the article “Internet, Economy and Privacy,” and Grace Nasri who wrote the article “Why Consumers are Increasingly Willing to Trade Data for Personalization,” believe that the continuing loss of personal privacy may lead us as a society to devalue the concept of privacy and see privacy as outdated and unimportant. Privacy is dead and corporations, governments, and third parties murdered it for their personal gain not for the interest of the public as they claim. There are more disadvantages than advantages on letting corporations, governments, and third parties track and acquire data to personalized services and advertisements for us.
Adolf Hitler- the name of whom once trembled the minds of people and made one to remember one of the most inhumanely cruelty and crimes that the Nazis had ever committed in history of the world. The scar of horrible acts from Hitler and Germany forever remained on those who experienced the haunting war. The entire world was astonished to see what Germany was capable of doing under Hitler’s command. The Aryan, Lebensraum, a-thousand-year Reich were ideas that drove Hitler into the vicious leader of Germany. Many did not fully grasp the success of Hitler’s achievements in World War I despite many difficulties Germany had to face after World War I. In order to truly understand the famous Fuhrer’s success, one must understand that Hitler was more than any ambitious dictator with aspiring dreams for his beloved nation, but he was also a very persuasive man with an extremely brilliant mind, a strong influential leader and a master of warfare tactics as well as the art of propaganda.
Most people concerned about the privacy implications of government surveillance aren’t arguing for no[sic] surveillance and absolute privacy. They’d be fine giving up some privacy as long as appropriate controls, limitations, oversight and accountability mechanisms were in place. ”(“5 Myths about Privacy”). The fight for privacy rights is by no means a recent conflict.
The decision to drop the atomic bomb was made by President Truman . In his decision he states, “ The only thing that was the right thing to do for the American and Japanese people was to end the war through the use of the atomic bomb.” ( O’Neal 36) Why all the controversy over the bomb? Historians and people today continue to ask this question along with others. Were the Japanese seriously considering surrendering before the bomb was let off, and was the only way the war could of been ended ended was throughout the bomb? The atomic bomb saved lives on both sides and served it’s purpose of helping to end the war. The facts remain the Atomic Bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima killed many civilians, but if the war continued to go on it would of killed many more.
Centuries later and the name Adolf Hitler still rings volumes till this present day: discussed in history books, talked about amongst intellects and commoners alike, and despised by many for years to come. Upon hearing his name many may think of all the negative things Hitler has done, but few fail to analyze just how one man created such controversy amongst a nation without being stopped. The question then lies how does a man reign over country and devastate it for years to come? Adolf Hitler, a man who excelled in persuasion and charisma was able to reign over Germany for years. Born in Austria April 20th 1889, Hitler grew up with many hardships in his life.
The world erupted in outrage following revelations by Edward Snowden regarding the extent of surveillance perform by the National Security Agency. Privacy becomes one of the hottest topic of 2013 and was chosen by the world’s most popular online dictionary, Dictionary.com, as the Word of the Year. However, the government is not the only one that conduct data gathering and surveillance. Employers often monitor their employees, and businesses collect data on theirs customer. The morality of these practices is a topic that generates heated debate.
However, government agencies, especially in America, continue to lobby for increased surveillance capabilities, particularly as technologies change and move in the direction of social media. Communications surveillance has extended to Internet and digital communications. law enforcement agencies, like the NSA, have required internet providers and telecommunications companies to monitor users’ traffic. Many of these activities are performed under ambiguous legal basis and remain unknown to the general public, although the media’s recent preoccupation with these surveillance and privacy issues is a setting a trending agenda.