Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on internet and email communications like social networking websites and BlackBerry phones, a US newspaper has reported. It said the White House plans to submit a bill next year that would require all online services that enable communications to be technically equipped to comply with a wiretap order. That would include providers of encrypted email, such as BlackBerry, networking sites like Facebook and direct communication services like Skype. Federal law enforcement and national security officials say the new regulations are needed because terrorists and criminals are increasingly giving up their phones to communicate online. "We're talking about lawfully authorised intercepts," said FBI lawyer Valerie E Caproni. "We're not talking about expanding authority. We're talking about preserving our ability to execute our existing authority in order to protect the public safety and national security." The White House plans to submit the proposed legislation to Congress next year. The new regulations would raise new questions about protecting people's privacy while balancing national security concerns. James Dempsey, the vice president of the Centre for Democracy and Technology, an internet policy group, said the new regulations would have "huge implications." "They basically want to turn back the clock and make internet services function the way that the telephone system used to function," he told the newspaper. The Times said that some privacy and technology advocates say the regulations would create weaknesses in the technology that hackers could more easily exploit. Source: orange news