Federal and state applications for orders authorizing or approving the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications increased 34 percent in 2010, compared to the number reported in 2009. The interceptions are reported in the 2010 Wiretap Report, released recently by the federal agency that tracks such matters.
Three thousand, one hundred ninety- intercept applications were authorized in 2010, with 1,207 applications by federal authorities authorized and 1,987 applications by 25 states authorized. One application was denied.
The most frequently identified communication type (96%) was “portable device,” which includes cellular telephones and digital pagers. The most common surveillance method was wire surveillance that used a telephone – land line, cellular, cordless, or mobile. Telephone wiretaps accounted for 97 percent (2,253 cases) of the intercepts installed in 2010, the majority of which were cell phones.
Eighty-four percent of all applications for intercepts (2,675 wiretaps) in 2010 cited illegal drugs as the most serious offense under investigation.
