Obama Administration Wants to Keep Better Tabs on Internet and Bank Transfers

By Allan Lengel

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is making moves to try and get a better handle on the activities of terrorists.

Charlie Savage of the The New York Times reports that federal law enforcement and national security officials plan next year to seek new regulations from Congress that would allow agencies to get information on the Internet with a wiretap order.

The Times reports that agencies fear “their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is ‘going dark’ as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone.”

The Times reports that the administration would ask Congress to change laws so that they could get info from encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry and social networks like Facebook and Skype.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima reports that the Obama administration wants to require all U.S. banks to report all electronic money orders in and out of the country to keep better tabs on terrorist financing and money laundering.

Currently, banks are required to report transactions that exceed $10,000. The new regulations would require all transfers to be reported regardless of size, the Post reports.

To read full NY Times story click here.