IP: Ashcroft "may end email surveillance" ... BUT wants to crack crypto!

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2001 13:36:38 -0700
>To: farber@cis.upenn.edu, freematt@coil.com (Matthew Gaylor)
>From: Jim Warren <jwarren@well.com>
>
>
>Left hand ... meet right hand.
>
>Is someone talking out of both sides of their mouth?  One wonders if the 
>WASHINGTON TIMES (source for Edupage's first item, below) has any 
>journalists working for it.
>
>--jim
>
>===
>
>At 09:53 AM -0400 04/28/01, David Farber wrote:
>Re: IP: ASHCROFT MAY END E-MAIL SURVEILLANCE: Edupage, April 27, 2001
>
>>>ASHCROFT MAY END E-MAIL SURVEILLANCE
>>>The future of the FBI's DCS1000 e-mail-monitoring system, also
>>>known as Carnivore, is in doubt. The FBI is pressing Attorney
>>>General John Ashcroft to allow the system to remain operational,
>>>but there appears to be good reason to believe that Ashcroft, a
>>>noted privacy advocate, may not give his approval to the system.
>>>Ashcroft has the power to make changes to DCS1000 or even kill
>>>the program entirely. Ashcroft had previously promised to
>>>"ensure that adequate measures are taken to secure personal
>>>privacy" during his review of DCS1000. DCS1000 has drawn
>>>scathing criticisms from privacy advocates and conservative
>>>members of Congress.
>>>(Washington Times, 27 April 2001)
>
>
>BUT! ...
>
>At 01:32 PM -0400 04/28/01, Declan McCullagh wrote:
>Re: FC: Ashcroft asks for cash to break crypto, protect networks
>...<SNIP>...
>
>>                                  STATEMENT
>>
>>                                      OF
>>
>>                                JOHN ASHCROFT
>>
>>                       BEFORE THE UNITED STATES SENATE
>>
>>                         COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
>>
>>                SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE,
>>
>>                      THE JUDICIARY AND RELATED AGENCIES
>>
>>                                April 26, 2001
>>
>>    Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
>...<huge SNIP>...
>
>>    the FY 2002 budget includes $33
>>    million in increased resources. Within this amount, $28.14 million
>>    will support the FBI's counter-encryption capabilities, and the
>>    development of cyber technologies for the interception and management
>>    of digital evidence.
>...<huge SNIP>...
>
>
>But "countering" your [presumed-guilty] use of encryption, and 
>intercepting your [presumed-guilty] digital "evidence" (how can they know 
>you're innocent until they can read everything you write?!) isn't sufficient.
>
>Ashcroft also wants to computerize all convicts' DNA.  Of course, anyone 
>convicted of almost ANYthing can be called a "convict."
>
>Note that this *also* computerizes much of the DNA of EVERYone who is 
>*any* blood relative of *any* such "convict".  Better check *your* family tree!
>
>>    To directly assist state and local law enforcement agencies with their
>>    technology needs, the FY 2002 budget includes an increase of $225.7
>>    million in grant funding. Specifically, the Department is requesting
>>    $20.7 million for Crime Identification Technology Act (CITA) funding;
>>    $35 million to address the backlog of state convicted offender DNA and
>>    crime scene DNA samples that exist nationwide
>...<huge SNIP>...
>
>Declan's archive, below, has the very-lengthy full text of Ashcroft's full 
>comments and requests for billions of dollars on federal funding.
>
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