Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-04003.html --- Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 17:31:52 +1100 From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochraneat_private> Organization: The Age newspaper To: declanat_private Subject: Re: FC: Australia: Tap-crazed spooks; court orders website deleted Hi Declan The rate of phone taps on mobiles and landlines is likely much higher than this figure from one of our reporters would suggest. Telstra (national half-owned telecom incumbent) has the ability to tap phones at will for purposes of maintaining network integrity. It has long been suspected that thousands of phone taps a year are initiated at the request of security agencies and police simply by asking a friendly Telstra techie to do a maintenance check on its lines. FYI the article below from the Guardian in 2000 suggested the FBI even back then wanted to quadruple the number of wiretaps it did. The writer, Duncan Campbell, wrote another piece in 1999 where he says the Australian government was instrumental in pushing for interception, doubtless at the behest of the US administration. http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,293985,00.html Big Brother is back Duncan Campbell Governments all over the world have suddenly become embroiled in controversy about electronic surveillance of the Internet. In the United States, a political storm has arisen over a new FBI Internet-tapping system codenamed Carnivore. In Britain, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act has just extended telephone-tapping powers to cover Internet service providers (ISPs), and allows the Government to arrange indiscriminate tapping or email interception for foreign police forces and security agencies. In the Netherlands, the Dutch security service BVD admitted two weeks ago that it has been collecting emails sent abroad by companies. In the Hague, legislation is being prepared to allow the Justice Ministry to tap into email and subscriber records, scan messages and mobile phone calls, and track users' movements. The Australian Government has passed laws allowing security agents to attack and modify computers secretly in order to obtain information. Many other governments have similar schemes in the pipeline. These developments are no coincidence, but are the direct result of secret planning over seven years by an international co-ordinating group set up by the FBI, after the US Congress twice refused to extend its telephone tapping powers for digital networks. Under the innocuous title of the International Law Enforcement Telecommunications Seminar (ILETS), the group has met annually to plan for and lobby to make telecommunications systems ``interception-friendly''. ILETS excluded lawyers and industry specialists who might have advised on the arrangements to protect privacy and human rights, or on the feasibility and cost of the intelligence officers' wish list of interception requirements. As a result, the laws based on their recommendations have often caused controversy. MORE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4049750,00.html --- Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 17:36:34 +1100 From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochraneat_private> Reply-To: ncochraneat_private To: declanat_private From March 1993. ASIO LINK IN DELAY TO 'UNTAPPABLE' MOBILE CALLS Byline: By LYN DUNLEVY Source:The Age MELBOURNE: A new mobile phone system - billed as untappable - is being delayed because ASIO and law enforcement agencies have insisted that they be able to listen in on conversations carried on the network. The new network, GSM (or Global System for Mobile), was due to be introduced by Telecom and Optus tomorrow. -- Nathan Cochrane Deputy IT Editor :Next: The Age and Sydney Morning Herald http://www.next.theage.com.au --- Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 17:38:07 +1100 From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochraneat_private> Reply-To: ncochraneat_private To: declanat_private From April 1993 Telecom launches its new (tappable) mobile phone Lyn Dunlevy Telecom will launch its version of the controversial digital GSM mobile-phone system this morning after convincing the Federal Government that calls made on the system will be able to be tapped by law-enforcement agencies. Telecom will launch its version of the controversial digital GSM mobile-phone system this morning after convincing the Federal Government that calls made on the system will be able to be tapped by law-enforcement agencies. -- Nathan Cochrane Deputy IT Editor :Next: The Age and Sydney Morning Herald http://www.next.theage.com.au ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? 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