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The big problem is not the known ISP address regarding the net IMO, but when a wireless laptop goes to some public or free business source and does bad things or communications on the net. That kind of stuff is much harder to trace.

As far as privacy on the Internet, well consider it as private as a conversation on a public school bus.
Also figure any Email you ever made is on the net still and still accessible and readable by agencies wanting to get them.

Nick Berg loaned his laptop AND his email password to Jose Padilla in Oklahoma and we are told that nothing funny happened.

EVEN WITH email and internet wiretaps on US citizens, they'd still miss the plots. This is all for putting the pieces together after the fact.

We had the pieces to determine the 9-11 threat (if not the full scope). People were prevented from talking to one another.

The big problem is not the known ISP address regarding the net IMO, but when a wireless laptop goes to some public or free business source and does bad things or communications on the net. That kind of stuff is much harder to trace.

Yes, well, then the feds will have to start having people register their net adapters. Every adapter has a unique MAC address hard coded into it, which is then associated with its assigned IP address.

CompUSA sales droid: Can I help you sir?

Customer: Yes, I'd like this ethernet adapter please.

CompUSA sales droid: Of course sir. If I could just have you fill out this "yellow sheet", we'll get you taken care of.

Yes, I know there is MAC spoofing, but if this crap is allowed to pass, then that will become a felony, even if used for private in-house puposes. And then there's IPv6, where we'll have enough address space to assign an IP address to to every electronic device produced for the next millenium. All registered with your friendly Big Brother.

And of course to follow up; the feds will require that any and all ISP/AP's be registered, and that all have back doors for the NSA supercomputers to download and parse their daily transaction logs.

Next we'll hear from the folks who'll insist that: "If you have nothing to hide, you don't have anything to worry about."