[quote name='PittsburghAfterDark']Bring us proof.
There is none. Go find us examples of people that have had their phone lines tapped, pressed charges against the government for such invasions. Bring us examples of citizens that have been indicted, charged, tried or found guilty from illegal wiretaps. Find us someone that has been let off on charges due to illegal wiretaps.
Go find us these phantom instances you insist have taken place. Bring us proof.
Hearsay and conjecture are not proof.
BTW, the law you used as a flawed example only relates to common carriers. VOIP has not been determined to fall under that same category. Neither has email or any kind of IM technology.[/QUOTE]
The reason there have been no complaints/people pressing charges is because this was done completely in secret, without oversight. We didn't even know it was going on until Bush failed to kill a NYT story (which they held for a year on his request).
We don't have specific examples, but the administration itself admits what they were doing. Spoken conversations, between someone in a foreign nation, and somoene in the US. It doesn't get much clearer than that.
Also, the law doesn't cover VOIP and IM, but I'm sure legal precedent will include VOIP in the description of "voice/spoken conversations"
Second, as to tracking VOIP based on phone number: you could easily determine the location of someone using VOIP, regardless of the phone number used. You simply track the IP. An IP is assigned first based on geographical location.
There is none. Go find us examples of people that have had their phone lines tapped, pressed charges against the government for such invasions. Bring us examples of citizens that have been indicted, charged, tried or found guilty from illegal wiretaps. Find us someone that has been let off on charges due to illegal wiretaps.
Go find us these phantom instances you insist have taken place. Bring us proof.
Hearsay and conjecture are not proof.
BTW, the law you used as a flawed example only relates to common carriers. VOIP has not been determined to fall under that same category. Neither has email or any kind of IM technology.[/QUOTE]
The reason there have been no complaints/people pressing charges is because this was done completely in secret, without oversight. We didn't even know it was going on until Bush failed to kill a NYT story (which they held for a year on his request).
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/politics/21nsa.html?hp&ex=1135227600&en=4ef661fe7d71febe&ei=5094&partner=homepagedespite a requirement by the White House that one end of the intercepted conversations take place on foreign soil
We don't have specific examples, but the administration itself admits what they were doing. Spoken conversations, between someone in a foreign nation, and somoene in the US. It doesn't get much clearer than that.
Also, the law doesn't cover VOIP and IM, but I'm sure legal precedent will include VOIP in the description of "voice/spoken conversations"
Second, as to tracking VOIP based on phone number: you could easily determine the location of someone using VOIP, regardless of the phone number used. You simply track the IP. An IP is assigned first based on geographical location.