Judiciary Releases 2021 Wiretap Report
On December 31, 2021, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts released its 2021 Wiretap Report on intercepts of wire, oral, and electronic communication from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021.
Published by The Lawfare Institute
in Cooperation With
On December 31, 2021, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts released its 2021 Wiretap Report on intercepts of wire, oral, and electronic communication from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021.
Forty-four states along with the federal government, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have laws permitting courts to issue orders allowing for the surveillance of wire, oral, or electronic communication. Twenty-one jurisdictions reported the use of at least one method of surveillance during 2021, while 78 federal jurisdictions reported filing applications for wiretaps.
The report found that there was a 6 percent decrease in wiretaps authorized by federal and state courts, but a 26 percent increase in arrests resulting from wiretap investigations in 2021, when compared with 2020. The average cost of a wiretap increased 35% in 2021 to $161,818.
You can read the audit report here or below:
