There is a catch, however. If you `re calling your Internet provider
via a long-distance line or you `re using an Integrated Services
Digital Network (ISDN), your Internet communications would be
susceptible to Digital Telephony-authorized taps.
Under the bill, telecom carriers not only have to ensure that the
government can tap their communication lines, they have to aid the
government in its snooping. Telephone companies are required to be able
to find a suspect's numbers and report where his or her phone calls are
originating and where they're going.
The bill could have been worse. One version would have given the
attorney general the right to stop any technological advance that could
interfere with the government's ability to make wiretaps. Another early
model of the bill would not have required search warrants to engage in
wiretapping.