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In the 1960's, a federal agency known as DARPANET created the original internet connection backbone with public taxpayer funds. As universities and later corporations later clamored for access to this system, contracts were signed (voluntarily) which continued to treat data traffic on this backbone as open, public information (traffic originating from an ISP that is connected to one gateway isn't prohibited from view by the other gateways or backbone repeaters - and in fact the very nature of reading the address that is encoded on each TC/PIP "packet" REQUIRES that every piece of data on the internet be reviewed by every piece of equipment which the data passes over/through). Today, this internet backbone connects all internet gateways (ISP's connect to the gateways).

I know all of this. Your point?

Thus, learned people consider internet data traffic to be public information. The situation of Carnivore is therefor similar to police officers watching public traffic on freeways, except that Internet traffic can be encrypted by those who desire privacy to prevent searches with far better accuracy than can be done with cars.

Source.

Of course, there will always be the Chicken-Littles of the world crying that the sky is falling on the bill of rights whenever a police officer watches traffic on either an interstate freeway or an internet information super-hiway...

Free government is founded on suspicion, not confidence.

I've provided you with sources in the past, however, you've never demonstrated that such sources are capable of swaying your biased, preconceived notions. It would seem that you merely ask for sources as a bluff in the hopes that no one provides them, as it certainly seems otherwise pointless to do so.

Therefore, if you dispute that each packet of internet data traffic must be read by every piece of hardware which it passes through (i.e., public), then you are welcome to debate that point in any manner in which you seem fit.

And if you don't dispute it, then no source is needed.

I dare say, that any government, no matter how sound or properly laid out, with all the liberty and freedom you could desire, will always be damaged by evil men. Clinton was an evil man. A man that raped both a defenseless woman and a trusting Nation. I'm sure you know that, so I can only assume that this piece was intended to place President Bush in the same light...how sad.