Citing the need for quick action in the event of a security threat, several government agencies have asked the FCC for broad inspection powers.
The US government wants quick access, within ten minutes, to all communications conducted aboard airplanes should an emergency arise. That access they want exceeds what the government has for land-based Internet usage.
“There is a short window of opportunity in which action can be taken to thwart a suicidal terrorist hijacking or remedy other crisis situations aboard an aircraft, and law enforcement needs to maximize its ability to respond to these potentially lethal situations,” the filing states.
The FBI, Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security have asked the FCC to grant it the ability to block, intercept, and redirect Internet communications from airplanes. Those abilities would only be used with a court order, but would need to be granted quickly to be effective.
Those agencies cite concerns about terrorists coordinating their activities via messaging devices with in-flight or ground-based conspirators, or even using Net devices to detonate bombs on-board.
Fulfilling the government’s request would require the airlines’ broadband provider to identify each passenger on-board a flight by name and corresponding seat number, for each flight.
One analyst for Forrester Research sees the proposal in a favorable light. “I would go so far as to suggest that I think it is the Justice Department’s intention to ensure that the doors are not open too wide on this, for the requirement of national security,” said Brownlee Thomas in Wired News. “That actually makes perfect sense.”
It’s a difficult balancing act for government, as it continues to battle amongst itself on issues with the Patriot Act. No one has a clear idea of how much privacy must be sacrificed in order to properly safeguard citizens.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
