FBI Abandons Web Surveillance Technology

[Kelvin Mace]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20050119/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/fbi_carnivore

The FBI has effectively abandoned its custom-built Internet surveillance technology, once known as Carnivore, designed to read e-mails and other online communications among suspected criminals, terrorists and spies, according to bureau oversight reports submitted to Congress.

Instead, the FBI said it has switched to unspecified commercial software to eavesdrop on computer traffic during such investigations and has increasingly asked Internet providers to conduct wiretaps on targeted customers on the government's behalf, reimbursing companies for their costs.

The FBI performed only eight Internet wiretaps in fiscal 2003 and five in fiscal 2002; none used the software initially called Carnivore and later renamed the DCS-1000, according to FBI documents submitted to Senate and House oversight committees. The FBI, which once said Carnivore was "far better" than commercial products, said previously it had used the technology about 25 times between 1998 and 2000.

The FBI said it could not disclose how much it spent to produce the surveillance software it no longer uses, saying part of its budget was classified. Outside experts said the government probably spent between $6 million and $15 million.

Strikes me that their high-tech package, like most government software, didn't work. Yet another case where the vendor is laughing his way to the bank.

Also, $15 million is WAY too low a price for a vendor to charge the clueless idiots at the FBI. I would guess $25-$50 million.

David Allen
www.thoughtcrimes.org

The taste of Republican butt does not improve with age.

"The NeoCons can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They do not feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

[Ironpost]

1. maybe at the end it should read, until they are dead.

[bahrbearian]

2. Boeing spent 6+billion on their DCAC MRM software, That was just

for a company wide platform , Not even for the whole internet.

[Guns Aximbo]

3. Thats what they want you to think

but if it's true, then, we're better off.

[BadGimp]

4. Bullchit

I ain't buyin it.

This is just like them suggesting the droped TIPS, and all those other horrendous scams designed to rob us of our freedoms.

WASS

[GHOSTDANCER]

12. They are still monitoring the sheeple. They just use spyware to do it.

It's cheaper. Just try and buy a product(both Software and Hard) or surf the web that doesn't come with a spybot attached. And everyone of us signs that lengthy contract that gives em the right.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

22. Try Open Source... the "Communist" software

no strings to the USG there.

[htuttle]

23. Did you know there is an open source version of Carnivore?

It's called Altivore. It was developed for ISP's who didn't trust the FBI's Carnivore to capture ONLY what it as supposed to, and nothing more. It's been certified for use in 'mailtap' operations for at least two years.

Would have been free for the FBI. That's probably why they don't use it. No profit margin for the fat cats.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

24. Bing! Bing! Bing! We have a winnah!

You nailed it.

Yes, I knew that. I was responding to the other poster's assertion that there was "no software" without spy bugs.

Of course, none of this shit works if you go low tech on them...

[GHOSTDANCER]

25. You'l even find it on hardware driver disks.

[Just Me]

5. Imagine,...just having that kind of money,...let alone throwing it away.

But, hey,...it's just money.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. Specifically, OUR money.

[BlueEyedSon]

6. Nah, they just changed vendors.

:)

[bpilgrim]

7. more accurate: "FBI SWITCHES Web Surveillance Technology" - n/t

peace

[hunter]

9. "used the technology about 25 times"

Yep. The first time they used it was for "Britney Spears Nude" and they got that awful picture of John Ashcroft naked.

[spooked]

10. I wonder if they replaced it with ChoicePoint

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/2003-12-31/news_cover.html

Big Brother's little helper
How an Atlanta-based company won millions of federal dollars to mine information on Americans in the name of toppling terrorism

"If ChoicePoint were a library, it might be the largest building on Earth. Its computers will soon hold 200 terabytes of information. Compare that to the Library of Congress, whose 18 million books would constitute a mere 20 terabytes."

Long article you don't want to miss...

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

18. Choice Point, huh.... could be

they were the ones who pulled Florida from the fire with their shit DB's excluding voters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChoicePoint

they also seem to be involved everywhere from the WTC attacks to Iraq


Wow... I see from Hoovers they have had a 25% increase in employees each year for the past 3 years, and their revs have gone from mid 200mil to close to 2bil in that period.

Now I see where the "recovery" is.

How is Cheney connected with this one?

Or is this Rumsfeld's cash cow?

[NYC]

20. 10 times as much information as the Library of Congress.

It's sad where people invest their time and money. What a waste and an invasion of privacy.

[Alpharetta]

11. The CONTRACTORS laughed all the way to the bank

Probably some juicy software development contracts were the big winners in this fiasco. Not a bad gig, to get paid $6-15 Million for a product you'll never have to prove works.

Do you think there will be an OMB audit for this project? Nope.

[Massacure]

13. Do they need a court order to use this software?

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. They dropped Carnivore

Yuo don't say... next I know they will tell me they also dropped Echelon and Promis...

Yep right, who is writingn this comedy?

By the way, HI BOYS.... you are droping PROMIS and Echelon too RIGHT? RIGHT...

By the way, if there is any truth to it, the spyware I have all the problem removing from my computer must be the replacement.

Hi boys, like the art? Can yuo give me some tips on how to use ZBRUSH better? Hope you enjoy the novels, they are just drafts, but still... oh and remember the Hallas Five Carbine and the M-4 Firefly are FICTIONAL weapons systems, we don't YET have laser rifles or AntiGrav Tanks with Gauss Rifles, okay...

[Whoa_Nelly]

15. Am not taking this article at face value

I absolutely believe nothing the media puts out, or at the very least, will question what I read.

Only eight wiretaps in 2003? And how many Americans were arrested, targeted, how many people entering our country?

I think this could be a false report in that it's just more media BS...in the Land Of Chimp and the Hidden Agenda vis-a-vis the Patriot Act, I believe the opposite of anything said, being done, or in the works when it comes to anything under the jurisdiction of the self-proclaimed king living out his god-given mandate.

[arwalden]

16. That's What They WANT Us To Believe...

... but I know better.

[keopeli]

17. Can you say KOOL-AID? I'm glad so many are starting to recognize this sh*

Our media is totally gone. Totally. Absolutely, positively, undeniably, irretrievably gone. If you believe otherwise, you are risking your life and mine.

Our task, should we choose to accept it, is to create our own corrupt media outlet (yes, I mean corrupt) that reels in the sheeple. All the barriers and walls are now down (except showing butt crack and a little nipple). There is nothing stopping us...except money.

And, we can lie if we feel it will benefit our cause, too, no apologies necessary. Once we build this, the gloves will be off and we'll be a more well-balanced oligarchy. That may be the best we can hope for in my lifetime.

[daleo]

19. Thanks FBI.

Not that I think you are there or anything, but I am just saying...

[Hardrada]

21. We always assumed

we were being bugged back in our old antiwar SDS days and we used to talk into salt shakers like they were microphones just to show we knew we were being bugged but didn't care. I should try the FOIA to see how many of our words they caught. I have seen some of the pictures they took. My God, I look young!