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Vol 7 No 1 - Roger Williams University School of Law

Vol 7 No 1 - Roger Williams University School of Law

Vol 7 No 1 - Roger Williams University School of Law

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FBI’s Carnivore: Is the GovernmentEating Away Our Right <strong>of</strong> Privacy?INTRODUCTIONWith the birth <strong>of</strong> the Internet has come a virtual reformation<strong>of</strong> how human society communicates. The exact number <strong>of</strong>Internet users is nearly incalculable, but recent assessmentsestimate that nearly 300 million people worldwide are currentlyonline.1 These users can travel relatively freely among themillions <strong>of</strong> currently active Internet sites.2 The growth <strong>of</strong> thiscommunications medium in the last decade has been tremendous,and promises to continue at such a pace. The United StatesDepartment <strong>of</strong> Commerce has reported that less than 40 millionpeople worldwide had access to the Internet in 1996.3 Thisnumber jumped to more than 100 million people by the end <strong>of</strong>1997.4 Further research by the Department has indicated thatthe number <strong>of</strong> people and businesses using the Internet doublesevery 100 days.5 Thus, the Internet presents unprecedentedopportunities for global communications and commerce. However,it also poses dramatic risks to personal privacy. Every dayAmericans use the Internet to access and transfer vast amounts <strong>of</strong>private data. From electronic mail and business transactions toshopping habits, web surfing pr<strong>of</strong>iles can reveal detailedblueprints <strong>of</strong> how people live.6 As more <strong>of</strong> our lives are conducted1. See Gavin Skok, Establishing a Legitimate Expectation <strong>of</strong> Privacy inClickstream Data, 6 Mich. Telecomm. Tech. L. Rev. 61, 63 (1999).2. See id.3. See Thomas T. Reith III, Consumer Confidence: The Key To Successful E-Commerce In The Global Marketplace, 24 Suffolk Transnat’l L. Rev. 467, 486 n.3(2001).4. See id.5. See id.6. See Carnivore’s Challenge to Privacy and Security Online: Hearings onCarnivore Before the House Judiciary Subcomm. on the Constitution, 106th Cong.(2000) [hereinafter Carnivore’s Challenge] (statement <strong>of</strong> Alan B. Davidson, Staff237

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