SAN JOSE, Calif. — In the past, intercepting communications meant just that — copying a telegram mid-route, steaming open an envelope or attaching alligator clips to the copper wires that connected every telephone in the world. But the old ways of communicating are heading into the sunset like the Pony Express and being replaced by phone calls, instant messages, e-mail and more that are converted into digital data before they gallop across the Internet and other advanced networks.
This constant interchange of massive amounts of data, converging into speeding bitstreams on common pipes, is both a blessing and a curse for eavesdroppers.
It's easier than ever to access wholesale feeds of data. But such work is also more controversial than traditional wiretapping, as seen in objections to post-9/11 warrantless domestic surveillance and to regulatory moves to require networks to be tap-friendly.
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USA Today
Jan 23, 2006, 12:36 AM
