the NY Times is reporting that the FISC which is charged with ruling on the validity of the warrantless wiretapping is expected to rule today that since Congress passed a law allowing it, it is all A-ok to spy on conversations between american Citizens
And there you have it. It is necessary for us to surrender our right to talk in private so the government can protect us from the bad guys.
I think this is actually good news: this should create a whole new market for consumer level phone scrambler technology - it is not that difficult really.
If you use a facility like Skype, it is ridiculously easy to scramble your messages because it goes through your own computer. Any form of VoIP has the same ability, so look to see new encryption software pop up.
Also look to start seeing independent cell phone manufacturers start offering encryption software for their phones - plug in the chip on both phones and voila - instant encryption.
That is the danger with this heavy handed bullshit - create secrets where none existed. If they had simply said - we will get a FISA court to issue a warrant before we wiretap, there would have been no issues. Now, however, they are going to be swamped by perfectly innocuous communications that look like shady conversations.