Iran’s Use of DPI spurs debate in the U.S.

The current events in Iran have spurred digital rights advocates to renew calls for Congress to investigate deep packet inspection technology.

This morning, groups including the Open Internet Coalition, Free Press, Public Knowledge and the ACLU wrote to Congress to ask for hearings about how U.S. companies are using deep packet inspection, or “virtual wiretap” technology.

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“Whether an inspection system is used to disrupt political speech or achieve commercial purposes, both require the same level of total surveillance of all communications between end-users on the Internet,” the groups wrote today in a letter to Congress.

Lawmakers have already made it clear they don’t trust deep packet inspection. Last summer, several officials condemned now-defunct NebuAd, which worked with ISPs to serve targeted ads to people based on their Web activity.

But the digital rights groups want Congress to do more than just make public statements on the matter.