DCSNet
Encyclopedia
DCSNet, an abbreviation for Digital Collection System Network, is the FBI
's point-and-click
surveillance system that can perform instant wiretaps on almost any communications device in the US.
It allows instant access to all cellphone
, landline
, SMS
communications anywhere in the US
from a point-and-click interface. It is impervious to external attacks, as it runs on Sprint
's "Peerless IP network", run on a fiber-optic backbone separate from the internet. It is intended to increase agent productivity through workflow modeling allowing for the routing of intercepts for translation or analysis with only a few clicks.
It is composed of at least three classified
software components that run on the Windows
operating system
-- DCS3000, DCS5000, DCS6000. The DCS3000 collects information associated with dialed and incoming numbers like traditional trap-and-trace
and pen register
s. The DCS5000 is a system used by the FBI unit responsible for counter-intelligence
to target spies and terrorists with wiretaps. The DCS6000 captures the content of phone calls and text messages
for analysis.
DCSNet has the capability to record, review and playback intercepted material in real-time. This real-time intelligence data intercept can be streamed out to mobile surveillance vans. Furthermore, with this system the FBI can track the rough location of targets in real-time using triangulation
techniques and cell site
information.
Much of the information available on this system has come from the results of Freedom of Information Act
requests made by the Electronic Frontier Foundation
.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's point-and-click
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
surveillance system that can perform instant wiretaps on almost any communications device in the US.
It allows instant access to all cellphone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
, landline
Landline
A landline was originally an overland telegraph wire, as opposed to an undersea cable. Currently, landline refers to a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre, as distinguished from a mobile cellular line, where transmission is via radio waves...
, SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
communications anywhere in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from a point-and-click interface. It is impervious to external attacks, as it runs on Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
's "Peerless IP network", run on a fiber-optic backbone separate from the internet. It is intended to increase agent productivity through workflow modeling allowing for the routing of intercepts for translation or analysis with only a few clicks.
It is composed of at least three classified
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
software components that run on the Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
-- DCS3000, DCS5000, DCS6000. The DCS3000 collects information associated with dialed and incoming numbers like traditional trap-and-trace
Trap and trace device
A trap and trace device is an electronic device used to record and trace all communication signals from a telecommunication system. An analogous feature available for use by the general public would be Caller ID....
and pen register
Pen register
A pen register is an electronic device that records all numbers called from a particular telephone line. The term has come to include any device or program that performs similar functions to an original pen register, including programs monitoring Internet communications.The United States statutes...
s. The DCS5000 is a system used by the FBI unit responsible for counter-intelligence
Counter-intelligence
Counterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
to target spies and terrorists with wiretaps. The DCS6000 captures the content of phone calls and text messages
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
for analysis.
DCSNet has the capability to record, review and playback intercepted material in real-time. This real-time intelligence data intercept can be streamed out to mobile surveillance vans. Furthermore, with this system the FBI can track the rough location of targets in real-time using triangulation
Triangulation
In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly...
techniques and cell site
Cell site
A cell site is a term used to describe a site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed, usually on a radio mast, tower or other high place, to create a cell in a cellular network...
information.
Much of the information available on this system has come from the results of Freedom of Information Act
Freedom of Information Act (United States)
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government. The Act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure...
requests made by the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
.
See also
- Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement ActCommunications Assistance for Law Enforcement ActThe Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act is a United States wiretapping law passed in 1994, during the presidency of Bill Clinton...
- Carnivore (FBI)Carnivore (FBI)Carnivore was a system implemented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that was designed to monitor email and electronic communications. It used a customizable packet sniffer that can monitor all of a target user's Internet traffic...
- ECHELONECHELONECHELON is a name used in global media and in popular culture to describe a signals intelligence collection and analysis network operated on behalf of the five signatory states to the UK–USA Security Agreement...
- Mass SurveillanceMass surveillanceMass surveillance is the pervasive surveillance of an entire population, or a substantial fraction thereof.Modern governments today commonly perform mass surveillance of their citizens, explaining that they believe that it is necessary to protect them from dangerous groups such as terrorists,...
- Investigative Data WarehouseInvestigative Data WarehouseThe Investigative Data Warehouse, or IDW, is a searchable database operated by the FBI. It was created in 2004. Much of the nature and scope of the database is classified. The database is a centralization of multiple federal and state databases, including criminal records from various law...