Obama Pushes for Easier Wiretaps

The Obama administration wants to overhaul a federal law requiring telephone and broadband carriers to ensure their networks can be wiretapped, The New York Times reports .

A special task force comprised of law enforcement and counterterrorism officials from the Justice and Commerce Departments, the FBI and other federal agencies concludes tougher legislation is necessary because some telecommunications firms have launched new services and system upgrades that hamper surveillance.

The task force officials want more legal incentives and penalties to push AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and other carriers to make sure any changes to their networks will not disrupt efforts to conduct wiretaps. According to the Times, President Barack Obama's administration intends to submit a package of draft legislation to Congress next year.