The FBI wants to force Facebook, Skype, Google and others to leave backdoors in their products for surveillance and interception

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is developing a bill that will oblige large social networks and companies providing VoIP and E-mail services to provide for the possibility of interception and reading of messages for FBI employees in their products and services.

The FBI's leadership complains that with the proliferation of social networks, instant messengers and IP telephony, it is becoming easier for criminals to avoid spying. The new law will add a similar act in 1994, which obliges telecommunications companies to maintain the possibility of interception at the request of the FBI. Naturally, there is not a word about web companies, which gives agents a lot of inconvenience.

In parallel with lobbying for a new law in Congress, the FBI is trying to negotiate in good terms with major Internet companies. FBI Director Robert Muller has scheduled a number of meetings with leaders and lawyers of leading Internet companies this month.

The companies themselves are unlikely to be delighted with these innovations. If the law passes, they will have to make major changes to the code of their products, not to mention the additional rays of hatred from the advocates of privacy and anonymity, which are not favored by Internet giants anyway. Apple, which owns iChat and FaceTime, said its congressional representatives are now trying to gain access to documents filed by the FBI two weeks ago, and Microsoft (the owner of Skype and HotMail) claims that “they are following the development of this topic, as it affects their business interests. " Google, Yahoo and Facebook have so far declined to comment.
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