'Carnivore' unlikely to be validated Surveillance and Privacy from Government9/6/2000; 9:22:12 AM A surprising good article from USA Today, which tends towards fluff pieces on these issues.'Five groups of researchers have bowed out of the competition to evaluate the so-called Carnivore Internet surveillance system. And that likely will dash Justice Department hopes that a major university would validate its controversial eavesdropping device, participants said Tuesday....'"This is not a request for an independent report," says Jeffrey Schiller, a computer network manager at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was asked to work on the review. "They want a rubber stamp."...'The controversy surrounding the carnivore audit springs from several issues. Among other things, the Justice Department says:- Universities and any other contractors must agree not to publish anything the government deems sensitive. - Researchers may examine only those matters the government wants examined. - Teams must agree to clear all personnel working on the evaluation with the government.'Under these conditions, particularly the second, I wouldn't want to do it either. What good would the approval do for the government anyhow? The reviewers can't even catagorically state that they've actually examined Carnivore... it could well be a system trumped up just for the review.It will be interesting to see how Congress reacts to this.