Comment

Glenn Reynolds: Anti-Muslim Craziness Is All Obama's Fault

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pharmmajor10/17/2010 11:06:57 am PDT

re: #22 reine.de.tout

well… maybe whether it was a stellar move or not depends on how strong a security apparatus one thinks we need. I’m happy with strong security.

I’m sure when Obama became president, he became privy to information he did not have before; and that information may very well have played a big part in his subsequent actions.

Regardless of the information he gathered, does it excuse invasions of privacy like this:

nytimes.com

WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone.

Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications — including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct “peer to peer” messaging like Skype — to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. The mandate would include being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.

The bill, which the Obama administration plans to submit to lawmakers next year, raises fresh questions about how to balance security needs with protecting privacy and fostering innovation. And because security services around the world face the same problem, it could set an example that is copied globally.