FBI "drowning" in wiretap data

CQ: FBI 'Drowning' in Information Harvested by Bugs and Wiretaps

Thanks to the bundle of anti-terrorism measures known as the USA Patriot Act, the FBI is conducting a "record amount" of electronic surveillance, including the use of wiretaps and bugs, according to an FBI spokesman and a Justice Department budget document.

Yet the bounty perpetuates an old problem: The bureau can't keep up with all the information pouring in from those and other sources. As a result, the document claims, critical counterterror information isn't getting translated in a timely fashion.

Although the number of federal court-approved wiretaps decreased from 1,491 in 2001 to 1,358 in 2002, the aggregate number of court-approved and FISA wiretaps grew from 2,292 in 2001 to 2,586 in 2002.