Intellectual Property Law

Wiretap Applications Down in 2008

By Kim Zetter

Applications for wiretaps fell in 2008, according to a government annual report (.pdf) issued this week, which tracks wiretap requests made to federal and state courts.

A total of 1,891 wiretaps were requested in 2008, down from 2,208 in 2007. No wiretap requests were denied. The 2008 figure is close to the 2006 figure of 1,839 wiretap requests.

Federal wiretaps totaled 386 in 2008, which was a 16 percent decrease from 2007; state requests totaled 1,505, a 14 percent  decrease from the previous year.

The average length of time for interception on a wiretap was 41 days, and the average number of people whose correspondence was captured in a single wiretap was 92. On average, only 19 percent of communications that were intercepted yielded incriminating evidence.

Ninety-five percent of wiretaps (1,793) were not for fixed-location devices, such as a landline, but for a “portable device carried by/on individual,” such as pagers and mobile phones.

One federal wiretap of a mobile phone in southern California, involving a narcotics investigation, resulted in 33,419 interceptions.

Suspected drug offenses were behind the reason for requesting 84 percent of all wiretaps.

The annual report is compiled by the administrative office of the U.S. courts and submitted to Congress. It covers criminal wiretaps and does not include the number of foreign-intelligence-related wiretap applications that are granted through the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

See Also:

• DoJ Nixed Investigation of Congresswoman to Get Support for NSA …
• More on NSA Attempt to Wiretap Congressman
• Secret Spy Court Repeatedly Questions FBI Wiretap Network
• Mobile Phone Number Moving Caused Feds to Wiretap Wrong American
• Court-Approved Wiretapping Rose 14% in '07

Full post as published by Threat Level on April 27, 2009 (boomark / email).