Wiretapping
Rady Rann 1055-621
What is Wiretapping
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Wiretapping is the monitoring of conversations
by a third party.
Became a bigger issue after 9/11
Two types: Passive wiretapping and Active
wiretapping.
Passive- collecting information to gain knowledge
 Active- Attempting to alter the information
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Background
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Olmstead vs. United States (1928)
Supreme Court ruled it constitutional.
 Roy Olmstead was a suspected bootlegger.
 Wiretapping did not violate Olmstead’s 4th or 5th
Amendment.
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Background Cont.
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Patriot Act
Passed by Bush in response of Sept. 11
 Expanded the authority of law enforcement agencies
to fight terrorism.
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How Does Wiretapping Work?
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Basic types of wiretapping
Who is likely to get wiretapped?
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Diane = Main Hub
Who is likely to get wiretapped?
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Heather = link to left and right side
Argument Against Wiretapping
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Violates the 4th Amendment
People’s privacy may not be invaded without a
warrant based on probable cause.
 Legal wiretapping requires court’s order even after
the Patriot Act

Broken Constitution?
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Illustration by Christophe Vorlet
Statistics
Wiretaps Approved by US Courts
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
Authorized by state/federal courts
1000
Authorized under FISA, including terrorism-related
investigations
800
600
400
200
0
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Works Cited
Harris, Tom. “How Wiretapping Works.” Howstuffworks. 6 Nov. 2007
<http://people.howstuffworks.com/wiretapping.htm/printable>
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McCullagh, Declan. “FBI Net-wiretapping rules face challenges”. Cnet. 4 Nov. 2007.
<http://www.news.com/FBI-Net-wiretapping-rules-face-challenges/2100-1028_3-5911676.html>
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“NISA Spying on Americans Is Illegal”. 2005. ACLU. Nov. 6 2007
<http://www.aclu.org/privacy/spying/23279res20051229.html>
“Olmstead v. United States”. Oyez. 8 Nov. 2007
<http://www.oyez.org/cases/1901-1939/1927/1927_493/>
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Shachtman, Noah. “Big Brother 101”. Popsci. Aug. 2006. 5 Nov. 2007
<http://www.popsci.com/popsci/technology/509207014e0ac010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd/
2.html>
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"Telephone tapping." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 8 Nov. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc. 12 Nov 2007
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Telephone_tapping&oldid=169992358>
Works Cited
“The USA Patriot Act”. PBS. 26 Mar. 2006. PBS Online. 8 Nov. 2007
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/terrorism/homeland/patriotact.html>
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Vorlet, Christophe. “Our Job Is Not to Stand Up and Cheer When the President Breaks the Law”
EbscoHost. Nov. 8 2007
<https://libproxy.temple.edu:2343/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr
ue&db=aph&AN=20608871&site=ehost-live&scope=site>
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