Feds Want to Monitor Airline Net Usage

The U.S. government is asking the FCC to give it more authority to monitor Internet usage on board airplanes. The FBI along with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security hope that doing so will help to prevent possible terrorist attacks, although some see it as a breach of privacy.

In the event a security alert is issued for a flight, the agencies are asking that they be given access to the plane's network within ten minutes. They would then be able to identify the user by their seat number and would require the airline to store the information for up to 24 hours.

If accepted by the FCC, the new policy would give law enforcement agencies much greater monitoring capabilities than they currently have on the ground.

"There is a short window of opportunity in which action can be taken to thwart a suicidal terrorist hijacking or remedy other crisis situations onboard an aircraft, and law enforcement needs to maximize its ability to respond to these potentially lethal situations," the agencies said in their petition.

Boeing, while not discussing whether or not it supported the law, said its Connexion service will abide by any policy enacted by the FCC regarding the monitoring of communications. Several privacy groups, however, have said the law, while good natured, could go too far.

The FBI says such authority will increase the safety overall and will help the U.S. fight terrorism by possibly being able to stop a terrorist attack in progress.