How many government wiretaps are there in a current year in the United States? Thousands?

Here's an article from Byron York in NationalReviewOnline that discusses the numbers:

[url]http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york100501.shtml[/url]

I think you'd be surprised. I was. And I think the numbers cited might be correct. I trust our friend, Joseph DiGenova, not to attempt to bumfuzzle us on this subject.

Eric The([u]If[/u]YouBelieveTheirNumbers)Hun[>]:)]

I've got news for you: the fed.gov can tap damn near any phone they want, anytime. Look into something called CALEA, the Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

It's software and hardware that phone companies were [b]required[/b] by fed.gov to add to their wireline, wireless and broadband switching equipment by June of last year that enables the G to intercept any communications, voice or data, over any medium. This works at the software level, not like they used to have to come out to your house and hang a wire on the pole. It also enables them to physically locate a wireless phone user.

CALEA makes those telephone "bugsmasher" boxes they sell at spy shops a sad joke. You don't hear a click, you don't hear an echo, but you're on tape, or acutally, on the hard drive.

[:)] Have a nice day! [:)]

And it damn well better stay small!

Violating the 4th amendment is very big deal.

And I am not exactly sure I agree with taps at all.  Call me a Constructionist.

A violation is a violation, regardless of intent.

Zaz

It is just unclean.

It is very difficult and time-consuming for federal law enforcement (not intelligence agencies) to tap a citizen's phone.  It's not done often, and usually only when other investigative methods have proven less than satisfactory.  A very common instance is when they need to get deeper into a very tight drug organization than a snitch can go.  The people in tin-foil hats would have you believe they tap your phone for things as small as posting on this board, but just ain't so.  Very tight oversight by the federal courts on these.