Email tapping by ISPs, forwarder addresses, and crypto proxies

[John Young]

There's a trial underway in New York City which involves extensive
testimony from the FBI on its means and methods of tapping phone,
fax and e-mail as well as covert video tapping and audio recording
of the three defendants, one of whom is a NYC lawyer, Lynne Stewart,
the other two usual Muslim suspects. The daily transcripts:


http://cryptome.org/usa-v-ssy-dt.htm

A lot of the early proceeding is dry legal maneurvering so you got to dig
for the technical testimony.

One defendant had 85,000 interceptions over several years, and
as intercept systems changed from analogue (Lockheed Martin) to 
digital (Raytheon) the conversion and archiving process lost a crucial 
portion of the intercepts, a basis of charges. 

Defense lawyers are hammering the FBI witnesses on how this could 
have occurred, and in the process eliciting a good bit of interesting info 
on the means and methods, as well as the reputation and ability of the 
witnesses and the Lockheed and Raytheon interception, manipulation
and archiving systems.

Testimony shows that the FBI continues to rely upon service providers
and contractors for the technical intercepts and freely admit that
the bureau could not do it otherwise. What is done with the raw
intercepts afterwards by the FBI collection, analysis and technical
staff in the field and at the Quantico Engineering Research Facility,
meticulously directed by US Attorneys to pick and choose among 
the data to support the charges, is what the defense is challenging.

At some point the contractors will be called to describe what takes 
place beyond FBI capability. The prosecution appears not to want
to go there, so accustomed are they to using the FBI as expert
witnesses to set the limits of jury and the public exposure to the 
possibilities of counter-interception.

Not a word yet about encryption, although some of the testimony
has been sealed.