ones ▁ ▁The ▁official ▁and ▁uno fficial ▁t apping ▁of ▁tele phone ▁lines ▁is ▁w ides p read . ▁In ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁for ▁instance , ▁the ▁Communic ations ▁Ass istance ▁For ▁Law ▁En for cement ▁Act ▁( CA LE A ) ▁requires ▁that ▁all ▁tele phone ▁and ▁Vo IP ▁communic ations ▁be ▁available ▁for ▁real - time ▁wire t apping ▁by ▁Federal ▁law ▁enfor cement ▁and ▁intelligence ▁ag encies . ▁Two ▁major ▁tele communic ations ▁companies ▁in ▁the ▁U . S .— AT & T ▁Inc . ▁and ▁Ver izon — have ▁contract s ▁with ▁the ▁F BI , ▁requiring ▁them ▁to ▁keep ▁their ▁phone ▁call ▁records ▁easily ▁search able ▁and ▁accessible ▁for ▁Federal ▁ag encies , ▁in ▁return ▁for ▁$ 1 . 8 ▁million ▁per ▁year . ▁Between ▁ 2 0 0 3 ▁and ▁ 2 0 0 5 , ▁the ▁F BI ▁sent ▁out ▁more ▁than ▁ 1 4 0 , 0 0 0 ▁" National ▁Security ▁Let ters " ▁ordering ▁phone ▁companies ▁to ▁hand ▁over ▁information ▁about ▁their ▁customers ' ▁calling ▁and ▁Internet ▁histor ies . ▁About ▁half ▁of ▁these ▁letters ▁requested ▁information ▁on ▁U . S . ▁citizens . ▁ ▁Human ▁agents ▁are ▁not ▁required ▁to ▁monitor ▁most ▁calls . ▁Spe ech - to - text ▁software ▁creates ▁machine - read able ▁text ▁from ▁intercept ed ▁audio , ▁which ▁is ▁then ▁processed ▁by ▁autom ated ▁call - analysis ▁programs , ▁such ▁as ▁those ▁developed ▁by ▁ag encies ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Information ▁A war eness ▁Office , ▁or ▁companies