Does Carnivore contravene the First Amendment?
No. I see frequent debates where people describe Carnivore’s invasion of First Amendment rights. I assume this is because of confusion about the nature of the Bill of Right. Since the First Amendment is the most frequently debated issue in the press, many people confuse the First Amendment with all ten amendments that make up the Bill of Rights. Get it straight: Carnivore is a Fourth Amendment issue, not a First Amendment. (Note: You could claim that monitoring of free speech is in essence an invasion of free speech, and therefore Carnivore is also a First Amendment issue. However, the Founding Fathers long ago debated that and it is still a Fourth Amendment issue).
