The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 11

LETTERS Aug. 29, 1984 THE DES MOINES REGISTER 1U Should be mad as hell Getting to know you through computer taps Platform? What is a platform? By PETER J.OGMBENE By RUSSELL BAKER SOMEONE TAPS your phone and hears your chat with Aunt Matilda, the eavesdropper has committed a felony under federal law; but if someone uses the JiJLsame phone circuit to steal valuable, computerized Masochists may have noticed that the Republicans have spent a lot of time writing a platform on which President Reagan will not run, for the simple reason that he doesn't need a platform to run on. records, he probably will escape federal prosecution. Though many states have laws against computer tapping, the federal government does not A bill passed last month by the House of Representatives would specifically prohibit computer tapping of credit and financial records covered by existing privacy statutes; but the Reagan administration opposes the bill, and the Republican-controlled Senate seems inclined to ignore it. Federal sanctions against wire-tapping have their roots in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." However, "upon probable cause," a judge may issue a warrant that allows law-enforcement officers to wiretap a criminal suspect's phone; but anyone can tap a computer without a federal warrant Unless they violate some state statute, they will have committed no crime.