How Wiretapping Works

Wiretapping, legally allowed to be carried out by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, is covered by the federal Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). But the techniques used by illegal wiretapperspeople who want to listen in on your conversationsis done very differently, and in a lower-tech manner, than those done via CALEA. This illustration shows typical ways in which illegal wiretapping is carried out. The next illustration shows how wiretapping is done via CALEA.