Generally criminals have had the same kinds of communication as the rest of us. Before the internet, the telephone. Before the telephone the telegraph. Throughout both and before, regular mail.
The FBI and preceding law enforcement forces have demanded and found ways to tap these communication mechanisms. Some private networks escaped their surveillance - such as the Rothschild carrier pigeon network - but government surveillance of private individuals is not a new problem.
What is relatively new is that the mechanisms that would be used to provide it are easily exploitable by a clever person sitting in a room in China. You can't easily give the FBI tools to catch local criminals without creating exploitable security threats in our own infrastructure.
Generally criminals have had the same kinds of communication as the rest of us. Before the internet, the telephone. Before the telephone the telegraph. Throughout both and before, regular mail.
The FBI and preceding law enforcement forces have demanded and found ways to tap these communication mechanisms. Some private networks escaped their surveillance - such as the Rothschild carrier pigeon network - but government surveillance of private individuals is not a new problem.
What is relatively new is that the mechanisms that would be used to provide it are easily exploitable by a clever person sitting in a room in China. You can't easily give the FBI tools to catch local criminals without creating exploitable security threats in our own infrastructure.