Wire tapping technology

The Science and Technology page article "New Phones Stymie FBI Wiretaps," April 29, looks at the FBI's proposal of legislation requiring all telephones, fax machines and computer networks to be accessible to bugging devices.

As if the legislation itself weren't bad enough, it would require telephone customers to pay for the privilege of having their communications accessible not only to the government, but to anyone with the know-how and the motive to violate their privacy.

An FBI engineer quoted in the article complains that cellular phones were not built with the needs of law enforcement in mind. I should hope not! When we reach the point where our consumer goods and services are designed with the needs of law enforcement in mind, we can no longer consider that we are living in a free country. Jennifer Quinn, Riverdale, N.Y.

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