A bill requiring federal law-enforcement officials to be more forthright when answering questions about electronic surveillance systems has passed the U.S. House. The bill, which passed by a unanimous voice vote Monday afternoon, would require the attorney general and the FBI . . .
A bill requiring federal law-enforcement officials to be more forthright when answering questions about electronic surveillance systems has passed the U.S. House. The bill, which passed by a unanimous voice vote Monday afternoon, would require the attorney general and the FBI director to submit a detailed report on the use of systems including Carnivore and its successor, DCS1000.

The surveillance systems let law enforcement intercept electronic transmissions such as e-mail. The bill requires that the federal government reveal in its report the following, among other points: how many times DCS1000 has been used; how the approval process to use it works; and any unauthorized information that has been gathered by the system.

"It sends a message that Congress is watching and there will be accountability if this system is used," said Richard Diamond, a spokesman for Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas.

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