Wireless Firms Are Flooded by Requests to Aid Surveillance

[pickel]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/09/us...llance.html?hp

The cellphone carriers’ reports, which come in response to a Congressional inquiry, document an explosion in cellphone surveillance in the last five years, with the companies turning over records thousands of times a day in response to police emergencies, court orders, law enforcement subpoenas and other requests.

The reports also reveal a sometimes uneasy partnership with law enforcement agencies, with the carriers frequently rejecting demands that they considered legally questionable or unjustified. At least one carrier even referred some inappropriate requests to the F.B.I.

The information represents the first time data have been collected nationally on the frequency of cell surveillance by law enforcement. The volume of the requests reported by the carriers — which most likely involve several million subscribers — surprised even some officials who have closely followed the growth of cell surveillance.

[Chuckiechan]

Well, you should sleep peacefully knowing Bush isn't doing it and all is well with "Our Leader"... LOL!

[tony_j15]

There are legitimate reasons to request the data. The problem as I see it is the lack of oversight and guidelines. The security state buildup that has occurred post 9-11 has accelerated information capture without any real discussion about relevance or constitutional issues.