When the Government Is Listening
President Bush recently found himself in a firestorm when The New York Times reported that he had secretly authorized domestic wiretaps on hundreds of people within the U.S. Has the government ever done anything like this before?
When did government wiretapping begin?
As soon as the use of telephones became widespread, in the 1920s. J. Edgar Hoover, the newly named head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was the first to make use of wiretaps and bugs (planted listening devices), targeting bootleggers during Prohibition. At the time, several states had outlawed wiretaps, but there was no federal law against them. The U.S. Supreme Court said the wiretaps and bugs were constitutional as long as agents didn
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Test flight of orbital rocket from Europe explodes
Speed Read Isar Aerospace conducted the first test flight of the Spectrum orbital rocket, which crashed after takeoff
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published