Ride the Lightning
Cybersecurity and Future of Law Practice Blog
by Sharon D. Nelson Esq., President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
Cellphone Carriers Had 1.3 Million Law Enforcement Requests in 2011
July 10, 2012
That's right, 1.3 million requests from law enforcement for information such as text messages and subscriber locations. I thought I was beyond being shocked but apparently I was wrong.
Carriers are turning over information to law enforcement thousands of times each day in response to police emergencies (I'll bet the definition of that is broad), court orders, law enforcement subpoenas and other requests.
I had some respect for carriers who are refusing to hand over data saying the requests are legally questionable or unjustified. One carrier referred requests it thought inappropriate to the FBI. Though I'm not sure that isn't turning a dog over for judgment by the pack leader. Read the article and you'll see what I mean.
I also thought I'd never use the words "thanks go to Congress" but thanks do indeed go to Congress for the inquiry which garnered all this information. The use of "digital dragnets" as reported in The New York Times was predictable, but the volume of requests is truly staggering. I hope that Congress acts to curb these dragnets – clearly, we have a situation which is out of control.
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