Warrantless FBI data mining?
p2pnet view Freedom | P2P:- The Obama government wants to turn National Security Letters into Open Letters.
It wants to make it easier for the FBI to get internet records of users without a court order, says Democracy Now.
Quoting the Washington Post, “If Congress approves the plan, the FBI would be able to secretly issue a National Security Letter to an internet provider and obtain who users send email to, the times and dates of e-mails sent and received, and possibly a log of every website visited”, it says.
Says the Post story >>>
The administration wants to add just four words — “electronic communication transactional records” — to a list of items that the law says the FBI may demand without a judge’s approval. Government lawyers say this category of information includes the addresses to which an Internet user sends e-mail; the times and dates e-mail was sent and received; and possibly a user’s browser history. It does not include, the lawyers hasten to point out, the “content” of e-mail or other Internet communication.
But what officials portray as a technical clarification designed to remedy a legal ambiguity strikes industry lawyers and privacy advocates as an expansion of the power the government wields through so-called national security letters. These missives, which can be issued by an FBI field office on its own authority, require the recipient to provide the requested information and to keep the request secret. They are the mechanism the government would use to obtain the electronic records.
It has Marc Zwillinger, “an attorney for Internet companies”, saying some providers “are not giving the FBI more than the four categories [currently] specified; and possibly a user’s browser history”.
With the rise of social networking, “the government’s move could open a significant amount of Internet activity to government surveillance without judicial authorization”, he states, adding:
“A Facebook friend request — is that like a phone call or an e-mail? Is that something they would sweep in under an NSL? They certainly aren’t getting that now.”
Observes Karl Bode dryly in dslreports, “the Los Angeles Times today is running a related piece discussing how the FBI is being investigated for agents cheating on a test designed to help them avoid the kind of privacy and wiretap abuse the agency has been repeatedly called out for in recent years.”
Stay tuned.
… and identi.ca
Democracy Now – US Seeks Access to More Internet Data Without Court Order, July 29, 2010
Washington Post – White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity, July 29, 2010
dslreports – White House Pushes For Warrantless Access To ISP Records, July 29, 2010
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy!
Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Ahhhhhh those foolish cowardly Americans let their overlords flush the 4th amendment down the toilet a long time ago. This is just a mere formality. Let the fishing expeditions begin! Watch what you say, you’re under the microscope now John Q Public. Step out of line, and you’ll get a ‘visit’ from your friendly gods in ill-fitting uniforms. Be afraid of your gov’t. Can you feel the freedom? Feels good mmmmmm…
Next up, the 2nd amendment, and then any remaining scraps of the Bill of Rights.
Don’t forget, it’s to protect you from the boogey men hiding around every corner and under every rock. Terror! Terror!
I tell ya, those in the ruling elite sure got good mileage out of 9/11, didn’t they? 9/11 was *perfect* for getting the people right under that authoritarian thumb, and transferring massive amounts of wealth from the taxpaying commoners into the ruling elite’s pockets. Oh, but with trillions on the line, nobody could EVER even think about staging 9/11 or aiding it in any way. The only people that could possibly be a part of 9/11 are some evil non-christian cave-dwellers on the other side of the planet, RIGHT? LOLOLOL
The founding fathers would stand aghast at the stupidity, cowardice, and apathy of the current generation of gelded Americans. They really are just dumb sheeple ripe for the raping.
And the citizens of most other countries aren’t any better, especially some of the larger Commonwealth nations.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
One cannot consider separately the FBI’s request to obtain without warrants, Citizens’ “electronic communication transactional records” including addresses persons sent email, without also considering the affect of pending federal legislation that may pass.
For example, Sen. McCain on March 4, 2010 introduced The “Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010.” McCain’s bill would eliminate several Constitutional protections allowing Government to arbitrarily pick up Americans on mere suspicion—with no probable cause. Your political opinions and statements made against U.S. Government could be used by Authorities to deem you a “hostile” “Enemy Belligerent” to cause your arrest and indefinite detention. Under S.3081 government may use an individual’s phone call and email information to allege without probable cause “suspicious or hostile activity against the United States or civilians to detain Americans.” U.S. activists and individuals under S.3081 would be extremely vulnerable to detention and or prosecution, if (charged with suspicion) of “intentionally providing support to an Act of Terrorism”, for example American activists can’t control what other activists might do illegally—they network with by email domestically and overseas. Government under S.3081 would need only allege an individual kept in detention, is an Unprivileged Enemy Belligerent suspected of; having engaged in hostilities against the United States; its coalition partners; or Civilians or (has) purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States; its coalition partners or U.S. civilians.
More recently Obama gave a speech in May 2010 that asked Congress to pass legislation to give the President, power to detain any person in the U.S. that government deems a “combatant” or likely to engage in a violent act in the future. President Obama wants the power to incarcerate U.S. Citizens not on evidence, but for what they might do. Obama wants the power to override the U.S. Constitution. If Obama’s proposed legislation is passed, the President will have the power to detain indefinitely any American without probable cause or evidence, based on conjecture someone might do something violent in the future.
It is problematic, if the FBI is allowed warrant-less access to Citizens’ “electronic communication transactional records” including persons’ addresses that Citizens sent email and McCain or Obama’s legislation, or similar legislation is passed, Citizens’ ’”electronic communication transactional records” will be used by the FBI and other government agencies to pick up and indefinitely detain Americans without probable cause.
See: Obama Sound-Video as for the power to detain people without probable cause at: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/630.html
See McCain’s 12-page Senate bill S.3081 The “Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010 at:
assets.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/politics/ARM10090.pdf
July 30th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Now between rogue governments and crappy and criminal corporation preparing to enslave us all it is time to be anonymous and to encrypt all our communication on internet even the trivial one. We have to use VPN, Https and TOR massively.
Also the more people use TOR the faster it is for everyone. Also let’s run a TOR node for our fellow human under the rule of crappy government such as IRAN and north Korea until we can get ride of it. Finally for anyone who have information about skeleton in the closet hold by government members police nasty secret services and company executives including bank, oil weapon and entertainment companies leak it all on Wikileaks and cryptome! Leak it All for the sake of your fellow humans!
July 30th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
“Ahhhhhh those foolish cowardly Americans let their overlords flush the 4th amendment down the toilet a long time ago.”
You are wrong on this one and you are going to see this soon when we kick the Buns out, Democrats and republicans alike as authorized by the constitution when the government become abusive.
We will restore our constitution and the bill or right article by article no matter what it take.
July 30th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
^^^^ Really? REALLY? Take a look around, for every person with your mindset there are thousands of clueless minions that will mindlessly fight on behalf of the overlords. The ruling class will call pro-constitution and pro-freedom patriots “terrorists” and the mindless TV-watching drones will be used to crush you.
No, nothing will change until the brainless serfs are snapped out of their comfortable little bubbles. Take away American Idol, cheap food, cheap fuel, and start drafting everyone, then they might get a clue and realize who their real enemies are. Until then, those who have views like yours will be systematically demonized, terrorized, and possibly incarcerated if not outright tortured and killed. And everyone around you will participate.
Hans Christian Anderson was wrong. When the child in the crowd calls out “the Emperor has no clothes”, the rest of the crowd would NOT join him in his proclamation of the obvious. They would probably turn on the child and attack him. Think about that.
July 31st, 2010 at 10:40 am
” “Ahhhhhh those foolish cowardly Americans let their overlords flush the 4th amendment down the toilet a long time ago.”
Yes, because America is the only country on it’s way to corporate despotism.
That’s because the other countries are already there