SORM
Encyclopedia
SORM is a technical system for search and surveillance in the internet. A Russia
n law passed in 1995 allows the FSB to monitor telephone and internet communications.
.
, in addition to telephone communications. According to some reports, under SORM-2 Russian Internet service provider
s (ISPs) must install a special device on their servers to allow the FSB
to track all credit card transactions, e-mail messages and web use. The device, which has been estimated to cost $10,000-$30,000, must be installed at the ISPs expense. Other reports note that some ISPs have had to install direct communications lines to the FSB and that costs for implementing the required changes were in excess of $100,000.
On July 25, 2000, Russia's Minister of Information Technology and Communications Leonid Reiman
issued the order No 130 "Concerning the introduction of technical means ensuring investigative activity (SORM) in phone, mobile and wireless communication and radio paging networks" stating that the FSB was no longer required to provide telecommunications and Internet companies documentation on targets of interest prior to accessing information. (http://www.lenta.ru/internet/2000/08/21/sorm/, full text of the order in Russian: http://www.libertarium.ru/libertarium/37988)
amended the law to allow seven other federal security agencies access to intelligence gathered via SORM. The newly endowed agencies included:
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n law passed in 1995 allows the FSB to monitor telephone and internet communications.
SORM-1
SORM-1 system has been established in 1996 to monitor telephone communicationsTelephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
.
SORM-2
In July 1998 the system was replaced by SORM-2 to allow monitoring of the internetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, in addition to telephone communications. According to some reports, under SORM-2 Russian Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s (ISPs) must install a special device on their servers to allow the FSB
FSB (Russia)
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the main domestic security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor agency of the Soviet Committee of State Security . Its main responsibilities are counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and...
to track all credit card transactions, e-mail messages and web use. The device, which has been estimated to cost $10,000-$30,000, must be installed at the ISPs expense. Other reports note that some ISPs have had to install direct communications lines to the FSB and that costs for implementing the required changes were in excess of $100,000.
On July 25, 2000, Russia's Minister of Information Technology and Communications Leonid Reiman
Leonid Reiman
Leonid Dododzhonovich Reiman, in Russian: Леонид Дододжонович Рейман; born July 12, 1957 in Leningrad is a Russian businessman and government official, former Minister of Communications and Information Technologies of the Russian Federation...
issued the order No 130 "Concerning the introduction of technical means ensuring investigative activity (SORM) in phone, mobile and wireless communication and radio paging networks" stating that the FSB was no longer required to provide telecommunications and Internet companies documentation on targets of interest prior to accessing information. (http://www.lenta.ru/internet/2000/08/21/sorm/, full text of the order in Russian: http://www.libertarium.ru/libertarium/37988)
Access by seven additional government agencies
On January 5, 2000, during his first week in office, president Vladimir PutinVladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
amended the law to allow seven other federal security agencies access to intelligence gathered via SORM. The newly endowed agencies included:
- the tax police
- the interior ministry police
- Federal Protective Service
- border patrol and customs
Notification ruling
In late 2000, a Russian Supreme Court ruled that the FSB was required to inform ISPs when its agents were using the system. The case was started by a complaint filed by a 26 year old St. Petersburg journalist who was "fed up waiting for civil rights groups and ISPs to protest".Media
- Russian Spies, They've Got Mail - Regulations Allow Security Services to Tap Into Systems of Internet Providers. Sharon LaFraniereSharon LaFraniereSharon Veronica LaFraniere is an American journalist who has covered southern Africa and China for The New York Times.LaFraniere previously wrote for The Washington Post from Moscow....
, Washington Post, March 7, 2002 - Russia: Surveillance of communications. StatewatchStatewatchStatewatch is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 that monitors the state and civil liberties in the European Union. It is composed of lawyers, academics, journalists, researchers and community activists. Its European network of contributors is drawn from 14 countries...
, June 2000. - New KGB takes internet by SORM, Mother Jones Magazine, February 2000.
- SORM - Russia's big brother...., Issue #21, Numbers & Oddities Newsletter, 1999 December 20