What Does Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) Mean?
The Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) is a U.S. wiretapping law passed by Congress in 1994. The law requires telecommunications providers and equipment manufacturers to allow law enforcement agencies to intercept communications with a warrant. The law originally applied only to telephone conversations, but has since been expanded to cover VoIP and internet traffic.
Techopedia Explains Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)
The Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act is a U.S. federal wiretapping law passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. At the time, phone companies were transitioning from the old electromechanical switching equipment to newer digital switching equipment in their central offices. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies in the U.S. were worried that the new digital switching equipment would make it difficult for them to conduct wiretaps.
