# The Problems with CALEA-II

By [Albert's Import](https://paragraph.com/@albertsimport) · 2013-06-05

surveillance, transparency, calea-ii

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The FBI is [asking](http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/03/26/andrew_weissmann_fbi_wants_real_time_gmail_dropbox_spying_power.html) for an update to the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act ([CALEA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calea)) which mandated a backdoor for communications gear. This revised version known as CALEA-II is asking for such a backdoor to be extended to all software communications services. I have been meaning to write about why this is a bad idea but [Bruce Schneier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Schneier) does such an [outstanding job explaining](http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/06/the_problems_wi_3.html) it that I simply recommend you read his [post](http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/06/the_problems_wi_3.html).

The only thing I want to add is that all the evidence at the moment adds up to society devolving into a spy-vs-spy world with government pitted against citizens. I am extremely concerned about this and have written about it before, first in the [context of bitcoin](http://continuations.com/post/6354769290/bitcoin-revisited-what-society-do-we-want), then with regard to [enforced real identities](http://continuations.com/post/39655580067) and most recently about [warrantless wiretapping](http://continuations.com/post/44222791321). At present I am pessimistic that we can stop this spiral and replace it instead with a movement towards transparency. That would a huge loss for all of us.

I am planning to write more about this. In preparation I will read “[The Transparent Society](http://www.amazon.com/Transparent-Society-Technology-Between-Privacy/dp/0738201448)” by [David Brin](http://www.davidbrin.com/) – a book written in 1999 tackling these issues and which comes highly recommended by my partner [Brad](https://twitter.com/BradUSV).

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*Originally published on [Albert's Import](https://paragraph.com/@albertsimport/the-problems-with-calea-ii)*