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Cell phone companies see spike in surveillance requests

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cell phone carriers have seen a sharp rise in requests from U.S. law enforcement agencies for their customers' cell phone records, raising privacy concerns and adding a legal burden to mobile phone companies.

Representative Edward Markey on Monday released data from the companies showing more than 1.3 million requests for cell phone records last year.

Verizon Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. carrier, reported an annual 15 percent spike in requests, and No. 4 carrier T-Mobile USA said it has seen a 12 percent to 16 percent increase each year.

"We cannot allow privacy protections to be swept aside with the sweeping nature of these information requests, especially for innocent consumers," said Markey, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "Law enforcement agencies are looking for a needle, but what are they doing with the haystack?"

Yeah, there's more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48122026

backlog of Arabic language telephone conversations for lack of translators because the feds did not trust Arabic speakers, even if they were born in the U.S.

And that's only one language.