There might be a few unsurveilled places down there...
I’ve not seen any reference to the technical and authoritative state-sanctioned means of implementing all of these ”wiretaps” and state surveillance on citizens domestically, and the almost complete surveillance of all external foreign communications.
These means and authority have always existed in the US (and other nations), but the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) of 1994 (with subsequent updates), passed under Bill Clinton, broadened, centralized, and delineated the comprehensive authority of all of it.
All of your communications and data pass into and through the many existing communications networks, whether landline or mobile voice and TCP/IP data, cable, satellite, and other types.
Almost every bit and byte of it is subject to inspection by those with the means and authority to access it (and others outside that universe...). Encryption and VPN’s might offer some protection.
Notice that I have made no references to “court ordered procedures and processes”, IMO, those may or may not be “operative or controlling” in any of this all encompassing State Surveillance capability.
But let me explain just a little about how it’s done.
CALEA required all communication providers to provide, as desired or needed by LEA, such secure, limited, uncontrolled access points (technical means) in all network and switch systems to any and all law enforcement agencies [LEA's, this means any and all, from your local police/sheriff, state, and up to the many federal alphabet agencies.]
If you think some of them can’t or won’t do this for whatever reason, you’re living in an alt-universe. In the ‘digital’ era, everything is ‘fungible’.
ALL of your voice, text, image, data, on ANY phone , computer, tablet, or device, is subject to State Surveillance, period. Anywhere you are.
Pay attention, those of you politically (or otherwise) active people.
Let me quote a little from a (secure, classified) CALEA enabling document about it (edited in parts, most omitted entirely, by me):
“...XXX’s solution to government-mandated lawfully-authorized electronic surveillance is a three-feature set providing Access, Delivery, and Administration functionality in xxx systems [to ALL communications of any kind, anywhere].
The Access and Delivery functions are internal to the xxx switch. The Administration function is a Surveillance Administration (device) connected directly to the xxx.
The Access function intercepts a subject’s [maybe YOU] communication[s] and reports call[/data] progress (call metadata, numbers, addresses, names, times, etc.), data (TCP/IP packets, etc.), and call content (speech, text, image, etc.) [directly] to law enforcement.
Surveillance delivery capabilities are responsible for transporting call content and/or call progress data from the subject’s (person or entity being surveilled) switch to law enforcement monitoring sites. (...extensive text/means deleted...) …
The [LEA/LEO] Administration capability activates, maintains, and deactivates surveillance within a [given] service provider network [uncontrolled, unrestricted LEA access to anyone using the network in any manner]. The xxx administration operations system interface, [deleted]. General xxx menus will not be available.
The xxx interface to the xxx switch CALEA data is restricted by password and authority class to prevent casual [any] access to surveillance data by [comms provider co.] technicians [or anyone else not LEA].
…
Figure xxx provides an overview of the CALEA network [figure omitted], including the [xxx device(s)] (which interfaces directly with the switch [and is inaccessible to the provider/comms co.]), the intercept access point switch (the xxx switch), the LEA collection facility interfaces [bridging points for one or multiple LEA access], and the interfaces (xxx, xxx,...) between the switch and the LEAs. The xxxs may be provisioned directly to a (or more than one...) law enforcement collection facility, or routed though a transmission network compatible with xxx [to any LEA entity, anywhere, with “authority”…(much more omitted)”
[[This diary text, with some changes, appeared in a comment I made on another diary ( The-Trump-wiretap-story-is-more-important-that-you-realize ).
I decided that I’ll (attempt) to put it almost verbatim in a separate diary (this one) also, too...since I think we need a little more ‘collective’ knowledge of the subject matter.
Most of y’all still have no idea how extensive (all-encompassing actually) our actual Surveillance State is now.]]
[sorry for all the text enhancements, just tried to get the important stuff empathized. I hope there aren’t too many errors, and don’t know if I can do any editing on a DK diary after pub, first new one in years (I did proofread it, but...)]
