Electronic surveillance is also examined in a brief that is part of NCSL's series, "States Respond to Terrorism," which surveys states' efforts to protect democracy from future terrorist attacks.Posted by James Zellmer at January 27, 2006 12:07 PM | Subscribe to this site via RSS:Electronic Surveillance involves the traditional laws on wiretapping--any interception of a telephone transmission by accessing the telephone signal itself--and eavesdropping--listening in on conversations without the consent of the parties.
Following the tragedies of September 11, there is growing support to give law enforcement agencies more power to tap into private communications to thwart further acts of terrorism by monitoring private electronic communications. State and federal policymakers face the challenge of balancing security needs via electronic surveillance against the potential erosion of individual privacy.
