FBI audit finds widespread abuse in data collection

I find this article to be very interesting. An audit of the FBI's has revealed "widespread abuse" in connection with FBI collection of information in the course of investigations. Many would not be surprised. But read a litte further and you happen upon this nugget:

The vast majority of newly discovered violations were instances in which telephone companies and Internet providers gave agents phone and e-mail records the agents did not request and were not authorized to collect, the Post said.

While the FBI is seen as the bad guy in most of these articles, it's interesting that the ISPs and phone companies have been handing over loads of data about customers that law enforcement didn't even ask for nor were they authorized to ask for it. Shame on the FBI for keeping it, but worse for the ISPs and telcos.

See: FBI audit finds widespread abuse in data collection - Yahoo! News .