US gov't seeks snooping authority on internet in airplanes

The FBI and the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, in a filing this month with the Federal Communications Commission, have asked for wiretap authority in the emerging technology of in-flight broadband, which is being used by some international carriers and is coming to US airlines.

The agencies would require that they be given access "promptly," or within 10 minutes, to all communications in case of a security alert involving an aircraft.

"There is a short window of opportunity in which action can be taken to thwart a suicidal terrorist hijacking or remedy other crisis situations onboard an aircraft, and law enforcement needs to maximize its ability to respond to these potentially lethal situations," the filing said.

The filing said the ability to monitor in-flight communication "will benefit not just the flying public but will lend significant support to the vital mission of law enforcement onboard 'at risk' flights and, in that respect, can be viewed as a critical factor in enhancing the safety of those flights."

The filing, reported by the website Wired and The Wasington Post, raised hackles among privacy advocates, renewing the concerns about earlier proposals on government monitoring of the internet.

"I think while well-intentioned, it's a bad idea, because we have not in the past given the government this kind of control over the design of communications systems," James Dempsey, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology, said on Wednesday (overnight Thursday HK time).

"This is the government inserting itself in a fundamental way into the internet."

The joint filing said law enforcement already has wiretap authority under a 1994 law that is "technology-neutral" and that this plan would be an extension of that.

"Lawfully authorized electronic surveillance is an invaluable and necessary tool for federal, state, and local law enforcement in their fight against terrorists and other criminals," the filing said.