Wiretapping the Internet: CALEA and Higher Education

CALEA, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, facilitates court-ordered wiretaps by establishing technical standards for interception points on public telephone networks. As interpreted and implemented since 1994, CALEA excluded the Internet and private telecommunication systems. Over the past year, on request of several federal law enforcement agencies, the FCC has developed and announced a reinterpretation of CALEA that covers both the Internet and private networks, including campus networks. Several associations and interest groups have announced plans to challenge this new interpretation of CALEA, on a variety of grounds. In this session, speakers will discuss CALEA and the technological, policy, and financial concerns raised by its reinterpretation.