Should the F.B.I be monitoring internet chat rooms?

Question

WASHINGTON - Authorities have disrupted planning by foreign terrorists for an attack on New York City tunnels, two law enforcement officials said Friday.

FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms used by extremists learned in recent months of the plot to strike a blow at the city's economy by destroying vital transportation networks, one official said.

http://www.katu.com/stories/87438.html

Answer 1

Yes. An internet chat room is a public forum, so conversations that take place there might just as well be on billboards. People participating in the conversations have no legitimate expectation of privacy.

Answer 2

Hmmmmm an open domain chat room doesn't seem to violate any laws that I am aware of. I don't see the harm in it if they are using it to find people to investigate but I doubt that they'll catch anyone that way aside from the wanna-be's and the stupid ones. I certainly hope they aren't dedicating too many resources to this.

If it were a private chat room there may be legal issues but I'm not a law enforcement type or a lawyer. But the legality of the government's actions in the holy "War On Terrorism" has ran all over roughshod on civil liberties.

Answer 3

Essentially a personal computer stuffed with specialized software, Carnivore represents a new twist in the federal government's fight to sustain its snooping powers in the Internet age. But in employing the system, which can scan millions of e-mails a second, the FBI has upset privacy advocates and some in the computer industry. Experts say the system opens a thicket of unresolved legal issues and privacy concerns. The FBI developed the Internet wiretapping system at a special agency lab at Quantico, Va., and dubbed it Carnivore for its ability to get to "the meat" of what would otherwise be an enormous quantity of data. FBI technicians unveiled the system to a roomful of astonished industry specialists here two weeks ago in order to steer efforts to develop standardized ways of complying with federal wiretaps. Federal investigators say they have used Carnivore in fewer than 100 criminal cases since its launch early last year.

Answer 4

I think the police and the FBI should monitor chat rooms to keep children safe.There are too many preditors out there. If they can find terrorists by monitoring, that's a good thing, too. I am against searching homes without a warrant, but I see nothing wrong with going into public places (like chat rooms) and reading what's written. If you have nothing to hide, you don't have to worry.

Answer 5

I don't think it really matters. The gov't and related agencies will always do what they want. And, since the internet is a public realm for the entire world to view, I always assumed "someone" was watching or something like that. I've typed up quite a bit of anti or un-American things on the internet in the past 8 or so years. So far, no one's showed up at my doorstep or job....

Answer 6

Why shouldnt they? They protect your A S S. Are you one of those liberals who dont think the gov't should have anything to do with our personal communication techniques? What difference does it make to you if you arent doing anything illegal?

Answer 7

Uh, Yeah!

If people are so stupid to put terrorist plots up in chat rooms on DARPAnet let 'em get sucked in.

Answer 8

Yes I think it is great that they moniter the chat sites. If we have nothing to hide what difference does it make if they see what we are saying

Answer 9

I think the FBI should do what ever they have to to protect us from the cray people who want all Americans dead. If that is a way to protect us then more power to them.

Answer 10

i say that if there is a posability that it can help than why not right i mean i am not doing anything illegal