More News from Homeland Security

I guess the Department of Homeland Security read my plea yesterday about focusing on stopping terrorist as they have come up a new project. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are now objecting to a proposal to permit the use of cellular telephones and other wireless devices on airplanes. Unless telecommunications providers follow a lengthy list of eavesdropping requirements for calls made aloft, the FBI and Homeland Security don't want cellular or wireless connections to be permitted.

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission sent last week, the police agencies said any rule permitting "in-flight personal wireless telephone use must consider public safety and national security" concerns (as a student of history, I have heard this phrase used many times by totalitarian regimes).

"There is a short window of opportunity in which action can be taken to thwart a suicidal terrorist hijacking or remedy other crisis situations onboard an aircraft, and law enforcement needs to maximize its ability to respond to these potentially lethal situations," the agencies say in their letter.

The police agencies, for instance, want to be able to eavesdrop on conversations no "more than 10 minutes" after the call is made. Other requirements the FBI and Homeland Security are requesting that the FCC mandate include: identifying the seat number of the passenger making the call, making sure police can "expeditiously interrupt" a conversation, cut off service to all passengers except government agents on a plane, and so on.

So, if I understand this correctly, Homeland Security wants to listen in on all telephone calls made from commercial airlines. I am not sure this is what Congress wanted when they passed the Homeland Security Act. While I am all for thwarting terrorism aloft, history has taught us that once you enable a government to invade our privacy in the name of security, they will begin to take liberties far beyond the intent of the law.

I must also say at this point that this administration and Congress are really beginning to make me nervous. I think the best thing to do is to continue to ban cell phone use aloft so as to not give the government more excuse to invade our privacy. Oh, and of course, ban the showing of Star Wars on airplanes as it might be a pirated copy.