Monday, February 13, 2012

Keep it secret

That's the motto of the Department of Justice (DOJ) when it comes to reporting on the surveillance activities of the federal government. The law requires that "The Attorney General shall annually report to Congress on the number of pen register orders and orders for trap and trace devices applied for by law enforcement agencies of the Department of Justice," That does not happen very often.  DOJ does not report annually, Congress does not ask for a report. The pen register and trap devices are wiretap methods that reveal a subject’s communications, and who a subject is communicating with, all in real time.

And it's not as though these methods are used sparingly. There are close to 25,000 wiretapping orders issued each year. Interestingly, these orders can be issued for almost any reason.

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