The FBI appears to have adopted an invasive Internet surveillance technique that collects far more data on innocent Americans than previously has been disclosed.
Instead of recording only what a particular suspect is doing, agents conducting investigations appear to be assembling the activities of thousands of Internet users at a time into massive databases, according to current and former officials. That database can subsequently be queried for names, e-mail addresses or keywords.
The FBI's use of Internet wiretapping appears to involve collecting data on thousands of innocent users, with that information being loaded into a searchable database.
It is unclear whether such a "wiretap first, filter later" policy is legal or constitutional.
Such a technique is broader and potentially more intrusive than the FBI's Carnivore surveillance system, later renamed DCS1000.