Despite the pervasiveness of law enforcement surveillance of digital communication, the FBI still has a difficult time monitoring Gmail, Google Voice, and Dropbox in real time.
But that may change soon, because the bureau says it has made gaining more powers to wiretap all forms of Internet conversation and cloud storage a “top priority” this year.
Last week, during a talk for the American Bar Association
in Washington, D.C., FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann discussed
some of the pressing surveillance and national security issues facing
the bureau. He gave a few updates on the FBI’s efforts to address what
it calls the “going dark”
problem—how the rise in popularity of email and social networks has
stifled its ability to monitor communications as they are being
transmitted. It’s no secret that under the Electronic Communications
Privacy Act, the feds can easily obtain archive copies of emails. When it comes to spying on emails or Gchat in real time, however, it’s a different story. (more)