From the leading newspaper of our attorney general's home state. Thanks to D.S. for forwarding. More on Carnivore: http://www.politechbot.com/cgi-bin/politech.cgi?name=carnivore -Declan ******* http://home.post-dispatch.com/channel/pdweb.nsf/text/86256A0E0068FE5086256A6000386983 FBI's troubles could imperil its system of e-mail surveillance This story was published in A-section on Sunday, June 3, 2001. By Jon Sawyer Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau Chief WASHINGTON - The FBI's recent troubles could imperil the e-mail surveillance system that the agency developed and that critics have blasted as a threat to individual privacy. The fate of the surveillance system, called Carnivore, will be addressed first by Attorney General John Ashcroft. He delayed completion of an internal review of the program when the FBI was rocked by controversy over its misplaced documents in the case against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. The Carnivore system had been endorsed by former Attorney General Janet Reno and received a qualified vote of confidence in an outside review last December by the Illinois Institute of Technology. Ashcroft, a leader on privacy issues during his term in the Senate, had taken a more skeptical stance even before the McVeigh disclosures. If Ashcroft gives the surveillance system his approval, it will immediately be the focus of scrutiny on Capitol Hill, especially in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Committee staff members said incoming Democratic Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont would announce Sunday that he plans hearings on FBI oversight as one of his first agenda items this summer. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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