Government Surveillance Timeline
Chronology of Key Events
1791 — The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." 1928 — In Olmstead v. United States, the Supreme Court permitted Federal officers to wiretap a suspected bootlegging operation without court supervision, saying the Fourth Amendment did not apply because the wiretap was outside the bootlegger’s premises and therefore was not a "physical trespass." 1934 — The Federal Communications Act is the first law to address wiretapping. It states that "no person not being authorized by the sender shall intercept any…
