The article begins by mapping the worldwide surge of state network surveillance initiatives that has occurred over the last decade or so. Invariably, the rationale for these initiatives include the claim that they will curb crime and/or terrorism. Focusing on the US context, it is argued that the proliferation of state network surveillance initiatives has resulted in a substantial increase in state surveillance power. Dated legal concepts have been applied without discrimination to contemporary electronic networks. The upshot is that increasingly sensitive ‘traffic data’ can be accessed easily by law enforcement. This enhanced network surveillance capacity has failed to deter drug trafficking and money laundering – intertwined crimes that have been of high priority to US state officials. In fact, not only have these initiatives failed to curb these crimes, they have contributed to their escalation. It is argued that a similar dynamic may be at work in the US state's ‘war on terrorism’. Policy implications of the analysis are briefly discussed.
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