Together We’re Saving Lives

Given the sensitive issue of consumer privacy rights and government overreach, it is not surprising that some may view subpoena compliance and lawfully authorized electronic surveillance as an intrusion into the right to privacy of consumers. After nearly 20 years in the telecommunications business, I share your concerns.  However, I want to change the narrative because I have witnessed how these investigative tools save lives. The intelligence gathered in these lawful investigations is a critical part of our public safety infrastructure, just as our public safety answering point 911 call centers and other forms of public safety networks.

Consider the safety of our children.  The establishment of the AMBER Alert System by the Department of Justice in 1996 has successfully recovered nearly 1,000 children as a result of the widely supported system[1] but intelligence from subpoena compliance also plays an integral part of these investigations. In 2018, 9% of all cases Subsentio handled on behalf of our clients were identified as child exploitation investigations. We responded to nearly as many of these cases in the first quarter of 2019 alone as we did in all of last year. We treat every child exploitation case as an emergency as it is clearly a public safety issue.

Subpoenas are frequently the building blocks of an investigation before an investigator seeks authority from the courts for a live wire tap or electronic surveillance order. However, not all investigations are that methodical. We frequently handle life or death circumstances with exigent electronic surveillance. Kidnappings, terrorist bombings, revenge killings, murder for hire investigations are all examples of public safety emergencies that can be resolved expeditiously with electronic surveillance.

Safe Harbor is more than just a clause in the CALEA statutes. For Subsentio, Safe Harbor is a common goal that we share between service providers and law enforcement to make our world a safer place. We celebrate every time we help save a life, which is why we recently presented our first Safe Harbor Award to Carolina West Wireless. Their assistance was critical for law enforcement to locate two teenagers lost in a national park in early spring of this year.

By partnering together, we are saving lives.

[1] Department of Justice’s America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response Alert System, https://www.amberalert.gov/statistics.htm