Law enforcement surveillance in the network society

We study the evolution of telecommunications technology and the challenges to surveillance faced by law enforcement agencies. We focus on surveillance history in the United States. US government surveillance will have an increasing impact on the global civil society because of the globalization of packet-based communication networks-as a great deal of international traffic travels across American network wires. The bandwidth exchanges operating on the coasts of the US illustrate that surveillance policies in the U.S. will affect citizens in Pacific Rim and European communities. Policy makers must take a broader view of law enforcement surveillance and do more to ensure individual privacy.