July 21, 2004 Letter to Senators Warner and Allen and Representative Moran
PO Box 8208
Alexandria, VA 22306-8208
July 21, 2004
The Honorable John William Warner
United States Senate
225 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4601
The Honorable George F. Allen
United States Senate
204 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4604
The Honorable James P. Moran
U.S House of Representatives
2239 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4608
Dear Senators Warner and Allen and Representative Moran:
As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the granting of any new authority to regulate the design of Internet communications services to make them easy to wiretap.
A plan to increase Internet snooping is not necessary. Longstanding laws already require Internet Service Providers and Internet telephone companies to allow the FBI to conduct surveillance. Requiring built-in “back doors” goes far beyond these existing powers by trying to force the industry to actually build its systems around government eavesdropping. It is the equivalent of the government requiring all new homes be built with a peephole for law enforcement to look through.
Regulating telephone calls over the Internet could result in ALL Internet communications being intercepted. On the Internet, voice data looks the same as email, instant messages, or any other form of data. Building a back door to voice communications inevitably means giving law enforcement easy surveillance access to the entire Internet.
A plan to require a back door for surveillance would harm the infrastructure of the Internet itself and risk making our communications easier targets for hackers and thieves. By requiring a master key to our personal communications, the government is creating the very real potential for hackers and thieves – or even rogue government agents – to access my personal communications. Past efforts to provide this sort of “backdoor” access have not been successful and only created a rich opportunity for hackers.
Once again, I urge you to oppose regulation over the design of Internet communications services that would make them easy to wiretap.
As a former Marine opposed to fascist tyranny and police state tactics, I find this proposal extremely disturbing. For all the money and lives spent on winning the Cold War, I cannot fathom how proposals like this one, which imitate the tactics of the Soviet Union, can be made in good faith. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.
Sincerely,
James Landrith