Other Views on Carnivore

I found some other blogs about the Carnivore program and they have additional links. I definitely recommend that you check them out! They are located under "Carnivore Blogs."

Want to come to a Crumpet and Tea Party?

Most students at Denison who are part of some mass email lists are aware that the emails get scanned for specific words. The funny thing is...Denison students have just gotten more creative with their emails. There are easy ways of getting around scanning systems. Just type "milk and cookies" instead of "beer and chips" and you are in the clear. Any other good code words out there?

Bring On The Carnivore

Carnivore does not work alone. It is actually part of a larger comprehensive system called the DragonWare Suite. This visual helps to explain how Carnivore works.

This site brings up issues such as privacy, regulation, and free speech and discusses how Carnivore is not a threat. This of course is not what I believe, but I think it is important to see all types of arguments.

Email Obsessed

As college students we probably check our emails around 20 times a day. So for all your emails junkies here's a little joke.

Terrorism and Privacy Rights

In past wars, certain personal rights were relinquished for the sake of safety. Most people are willing to make the sacrifices needed to win a war if it means their rights will be completely restored in the future. If you think about our current "war on terror" you will notice that it is nothing like our previous wars. WWI, WWII, and the Cold War, for example, all had a starting and ending date. The "war on terror" could continue for years or decades.


With Carnivore sniffing through our personal emails we need to ask ourselfs where we draw the line. Is the right to privacy in electronic communication the same as the right to privacy in Snail Mail (U.S. Postal Service)? I am not saying I have anything to hide. Instead, I am here to promote awarness so that when your love emails are getting searched by some big FBI agent, I can say I told you so!


For more information about privacy rights and the "war on terrorism" read the article by Tomas P. Ludwig, titled, "The Erosion of Online Privacy Rights in the Recent Tide of Terrorism." If you are a Denison Student or have access to LexisNexis click here.

What is Carnivore?

Beyond the blood soaked teeth graphic, the Carnivore is an FBI computer software program. This programs allows the FBI to search countless numbers of emails by simply entering certain "search" data. Some examples are email account usernames, addresses (Internet Protocol), and specific Internet ports. Carnivore searches these emails in order to find potential terrorists, pedophiles, hackers, and other people using the superhighway to commit crimes. Sounds too good to be true? Well it is. While the FBI is searching for these criminals they may also be viewing your own personal emails. For more information about Carnivore, check out the 2001 article written by Peter j. Georgiton titled, "The FBI's Carnivore: How Federal Agents May Be Viewing Your Personal E-mail and Why There Is Nothing You Can Do About It." If you are a Denison Student or have access to LexisNexis click here.