FBI “drowning” in wiretap data

CQ: FBI ‘Drowning’ in Information Harvested by Bugs and Wiretaps

Thanks to the bundle of anti-terrorism measures known as the USA Patriot Act, the FBI is conducting a “record amount” of electronic surveillance, including the use of wiretaps and bugs, according to an FBI spokesman and a Justice Department budget document.
Yet the bounty perpetuates an old problem: The bureau can’t keep up with all the information pouring in from those and other sources. As a result, the document claims, critical counterterror information isn’t getting translated in a timely fashion.

Although the number of federal court-approved wiretaps decreased from 1,491 in 2001 to 1,358 in 2002, the aggregate number of court-approved and FISA wiretaps grew from 2,292 in 2001 to 2,586 in 2002.

<td>
  Court-approved
</td>

<td>
  FISA
</td>

<td>
  Total
</td>

<td>
  1,349
</td>

<td>
  880
</td>

<td>
  2,229
</td>

<td>
  1,190
</td>

<td>
  1,012
</td>

<td>
  2,202
</td>

<td>
  1,491
</td>

<td>
  934
</td>

<td>
  2,292
</td>

<td>
  1,358
</td>

<td>
  1,228
</td>

<td>
  2,586
</td>