A US Justice Department official told a Senate panel Wednesday that law enforcement officers might lack the authority to monitor the phone conversations of terrorists and criminals under a proposed law governing calls that travel over the Internet.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Laura H. Parsky, testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee, said the growing popularity of Internet-based telephone services presents a new threat to law enforcement officials who are already struggling to keep up with an increasingly complex world of wired, wireless and Internet communications.
Parsky said the deregulatory approach of the Senate bill sponsored by Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.), aimed at ensuring that Internet-based phone services are not subject to the same regulations that govern traditional telephone networks, could undermine the legal authority of law enforcement officials seeking to investigate criminal activity. She also said that the Internet-based phone technology could provide a haven for criminals seeking to avoid the kind of surveillance allowed on regular telephone systems.
"While I obviously cannot go into detail on this point, suffice it to say that criminals do not want to be caught, and they are quick to take advantage of any gap in our ability to detect and disrupt their criminal activities," Parsky said.
News source: Washington Post
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