FBI Director on industrial espionage

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

From: kadie () cs uiuc edu (Carl M Kadie)


Quotes of FBI Director Louis Freeh from a Clarinet/Reuters story. He
was speaking to the Executives' Club of Chicago on Thursday.


"The threat is real."


"A nation's power is increasingly measured by economic
prosperity at home and competitiveness abroad. And in some ways, the
United States is a sitting duck for countries and individuals who want
to take a short cut to power."


"We had $1.5 trillion invested in research and development during the
1980's alone. We also have an open society and a devotion to free
market principles that can make it relatively easy to steal secrets
and technology."


[At least 20 nations are] "actively engaged in economic espionage."


"This kind of information [cost and price structure, research and
development results, marketing plans, bids and customer lists] can be
intercepted from fax and satellite communications. It can be monitored
from cellular and microwave telephone links. It can be retrieved from
inadequately protected computer systems."


"Advanced telecommunications technology will make it impossible for
the FBI to carry out court-approved surveillance in life-and-death
cases."


"The country will be unable to protect itself against terrorism,
violent crime, foreign threats, drug trafficking, espionage,
kidnapping and other grave crimes."


"Development of technology is moving so rapidly that several hundred
court-authorized surveillances already have been prevented by new
technological impediments with advanced communications equipment."


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--
Carl Kadie -- I do not represent any organization; this is just me.
 = kadie () cs uiuc edu =