Will Carnivore devour online privacy?

In February 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) renamed its controversial Internet surveillance tool, Carnivore, as the innocuous-sounding "DCS1000". Although the move is sensible from a public relations perspective, more than the system's name must change to protect innocent Internet users' rights. According to the FBI, Carnivore (as everyone outside the Bureau still calls it) allows law enforcement agents to intercept and collect e-mail and other electronic communications only when authorized by a court order. What is so controversial about Carnivore, and why has it provoked strong negative reactions from privacy advocates, editorial boards and members of the US Congress? The answers lie in how the system works and who controls it.