Ever since Edward Snowden leaked classified NSA documents in June 2013, all eyes have been on governments and global security organizations.
The documents that Snowden leaked contained details about several global surveillance programs carried out by the NSA, and other Five Eyes countries with the cooperation of large telecom companies.
The leaks exposed the extent to which personal privacy is increasingly being thrust aside for the sake of ‘national security’.
While the public outcry against the NSA’s actions was scathing, the security association and other surveillance organizations have their supporters—folks who claim they’re happy to yield a bit of privacy as long as it means they’re safe.
But whether you call it spying or security, market analysts call it ‘lawful interception’. This terms refers to legally authorized surveillance of any data and voice communications. The market for this kind of surveillance is expected to grow significantly and post a CAGR of 38.90 percent from 2014-2019.
Unsurprisingly, the market was dominated by the Americas in 2014, which accounted for a market share of 44.59 percent. It was followed by the EMEA and APAC regions, which accounted for market shares of 36.33 percent and 19.08 percent, respectively.
New Communication Protocols Good for Privacy, but Bad for Provider Compliance
The entire Lawful Interception Market is characterized by the push-pull relationship between those carrying out the surveillance and those being watched. Cracking down on criminal activities and curbing cyber threats are undoubtedly a big part of this, but a lot of regular people are being caught in the crossfire.
This is leading regular Joe’s are to look for solutions to secure and encrypt their communications from both hackers, as well as the government.
The emergence of advanced communication platforms is expected to pose a challenge to network operators and service providers over the projected period.
This is putting service providers in a tricky position. These organizations are expected to comply with government regulations and provide subscriber information. But the appearance of IP-based communications has made compliance challenging, as it can be difficult for service providers and network operators to track subscriber identities.
Mobility has added another layer of complexity to the market, as it enables a subscriber to connect to the network from any geographical area.
Emergence of Intelligent Solutions Will Boost Market Projections
This game of one-upmanship between governments and their constituents is actually expected to bolster the growth rate in the Lawful Interception Market over the projected period.
Law enforcement agencies are developing new technologies and communication platforms, and these intelligent solutions enable the monitoring and interception of all types of voice and data communications across networks such as mobile networks, fixed networks, and the internet.
