Lawful Interception of the Internet

This paper describes the state of Lawful Interception of the Internet and compares it with Lawful Interception of access networks. Lawful Interception is the process of secretly intercepting communications between parties of interest to Law Enforcement agencies. Internet interception is both more difficult and much more immature than access network interception. Refusal by the main standards body of the Internet (the IETF) to be involved in Lawful Interception has left a vacuum in the area which has been filled by complex hardware solutions with potential security and privacy risks. Interception of the Internet is likely to become more common in future than it is now. Without engagement of network researchers and Internet standards setting bodies, Lawful Interception will either be a potential threat to the security and privacy of Internet users, or governments may insist on draconian controls that will significantly affect the development of new Internet based services.