Of the billions using Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, an increasing number are criminals, terrorists and others engaged in covert activities. A special set of social media monitoring tools enables the law enforcement agency to track these targets to their doorstep. So it might surprise you that only half of U.S. LEAs tune in to a suspect's social media. LEAs' slow uptake on … [Read more...]
MikroTik: the FBI’s New Favorite Router for CALEA?
A CALEA-compliant network router for as low as $39.95? No, you haven’t stumbled onto the Walmart website by mistake. An amazing little router made by Latvia’s MikroTik provides all you need in lawful intercept capabilities from a router -- for pennies compared to Cisco. That might be one reason the FBI and trusted third party CALEA providers are loading up on MikroTik … [Read more...]
Tech Leaders’ Role in Running Lawful Intercept Aground
Newsflash: FBI General Counsel Valerie Caproni warns that current surveillance laws prohibit law enforcement agencies (LEAs) from using lawful intercept to tap new communications services increasingly favored by criminals and terrorists. No, that’s not really news. It’s from testimony delivered Feb 27, 2011 in Congressional hearings on “going dark” -- a phrase that describes … [Read more...]
Neustar or Dying Star?
When it comes to trusted third party solutions providers -- the term for CALEA service bureaus that provide end-to-end lawful intercept solutions -- the name Neustar is often uttered in hushed tones. At roughly $1 billion in revenue, Neustar in unquestionably the TTP's field largest player. But with the largest part of its business now at risk, the company's Legal Compliance … [Read more...]
Verint STAR-GATE: Still the Gold Standard for Tier 1 Telcos
Like many a tech company that emerged during the glory days of the late 1990s dot.com boom, Verint has a checkered history. Initially a subsidiary of Comverse Infosys, the company started out in Israel. Even though Verint's official HQ is now Melville, NY, the company to this day still keeps half its employees in Israel -- a major sticking point for Arab countries, which as a … [Read more...]