Network managers say any hole built into the Internet for legitimate law enforcement purposes would be abused by hackers, and the existence of such a hole could undermine consumer confidence in the Internet and slow the growth of electronic commerce.
Security is very important to our business because it's extremely important to our customers. . . .
If you're putting in a back door to the Internet, somebody is going to eventually find it that isn't in law enforcement. We give all of our information away for free . . . Since the issue was put on the meeting agenda several days ago, e-mails have been flying between IETF members, many of who oppose the idea. Work sparks debate The wiretapping debate emerged from the IETF's work on protocols to support telephony over the Internet. A wiretapping capability is built into central office telephone switches, and various countries, including the U.S., require carriers to intercept or report on communications at the request of government agencies.