Monday, October 31, 2005
The House's Abuse of Patriotism
In this editorial, the New York Times calls on the House of Representatives to end constitutional abuses in their version of a bill that seeks to renew the Patriot Act.
Court Rejects Warrantless Cell Phone Tap
The New Standard reports, “In a ruling hailed by privacy rights advocates, a federal judge this week reaffirmed his earlier finding that federal law enforcement officials must show probable cause before monitoring cell phone users.”
Friday, October 28, 2005
FBI Dealt Setback on Cellular Surveillance
The Washington Post reports, “The FBI may not track the locations of cell phone users without showing evidence that a crime occurred or is in progress, two federal judges ruled, saying that to do so would violate long-established privacy protections.”
Thursday, October 27, 2005
FBI Infractions Since 9/11 Raise Civil Liberty Concerns
The Christian Science Monitor reports, “Critics charge that the actions revealed in [bureau] papers raise questions about FBI internal controls and whether the changed threat perceptions after Sept. 11 have caused some agents to push the rules.”
Spy Agencies Told to 'Bolster the Growth of Democracy'
"A new strategy document issued Wednesday by the Bush administration ranks efforts to 'bolster the growth of democracy' among the three top missions for American intelligence agencies," reports The New York Times.
All US Passports to be RFID Chipped
“All US passports will be implanted with remotely readable computer chips starting in October 2006, the Bush administration has announced. Sweeping new State Department regulations issued on Tuesday say passports issued after that time will have tiny RFID chips that can transmit personal information including the name, nationality, sex, date of birth, place of birth and digitised photograph of the passport holder.” Read more.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Internet Phone Wiretap Rule Challenged
The Boston Herald reports, “Privacy and technology groups asked the federal appeals court in Washington on Tuesday to overturn a Federal Communications Commission rule that expands wiretapping laws to cover Internet calls - or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).”
Measure Would Alter Federal Death Penalty System
According to The Washington Post, “The House bill that would reauthorize the USA Patriot Act anti-terrorism law includes several little-noticed provisions that would dramatically transform the federal death penalty system, allowing smaller juries to decide on executions and giving prosecutors the ability to try again if a jury deadlocks on sentencing.”
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Tighter Oversight of F.B.I. Is Urged After Investigation Lapses
The New York Times reports, “Civil rights advocates called on Monday for Congress to increase its oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's surveillance of suspects in intelligence investigations, in light of newly disclosed records indicating that the F.B.I. had violated the law. But the bureau defended its record, saying it had been diligent in policing itself and in correcting lapses that it considered to be largely technical and procedural.”
Monday, October 24, 2005
FBI Papers Indicate Intelligence Violations
The Washington Post reports, “The FBI has conducted clandestine surveillance on some U.S. residents for as long as 18 months at a time without proper paperwork or oversight, according to previously classified documents to be released today.”
A Constitutional Disaster
The Nation reports, “While natural disasters in the Gulf Coast and the man-made disaster in Iraq continue to grab the public's attention, a constitutional disaster quietly threatens the nation. The USA Patriot Act's renewal is now almost a fait accompli--accepted by all but the most steadfast civil libertarians in Congress.”
Colleges Protesting Federal Call to Upgrade Online Systems
“The federal government, vastly extending the reach of an 11-year-old law, is requiring hundreds of universities, online communications companies and cities to overhaul their Internet computer networks to make it easier for law enforcement authorities to monitor e-mail and other online communications.” Read more here.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Watchdog Group Criticizes RFID Plans for Drivers' Licenses
RCR Wireless News reports, “The Department of Homeland Security is considering requiring radio frequency identification chips in drivers' licenses, an option that it warned carries huge costs and poses privacy risks to Americans.”
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Big Brother Can Use Printer to Track You
“It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it isn’t. The pages coming out of your color printer may contain hidden information that could be used to track you down if you ever cross the U.S. government.” Read more.
Furor Grows Over Internet Bugging
“A recent government order mandating that voice over internet protocol services must include the same government-approved wiretapping capabilities as traditional phone companies threatens to cripple peer-to-peer telephone innovation,” reports Wired News.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Republicans Seek to Widen F.B.I. Powers
The New York Times reports, “Senate Republican leaders are pushing once again to expand the Federal Bureau of Investigation's power to demand records in terrorism investigations, as negotiations over the future of the sweeping law known as the USA Patriot Act reach a critical stage.”
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Phone Tap: How's the Traffic?
Wired.com reports that the Missouri Department of Transportation, while claiming there is no “Big-Brother” agenda, is finalizing a contract to monitor thousands of cell phones to map traffic patterns.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
U.S. Wants to Push Ocean Boundaries to Limit Terror Threat
Alertnet.org reports, “The United States wants to search foreign ships far outside its territorial waters to stop a possible terrorist attack on the country coming from the sea.”
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Government Secrecy Poses Great Threat, Bob Woodward Says
“The big worry that we should have about the country is not terrorism or hurricanes or Karl Rove or George Bush or whoever, the real thing that will bring us down as a country is secret government.” Read more of The First Amendment Center’s interview with Bob Woodward here.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Request for Domestic Covert Role Is Defended
“As part of the expanding counterterrorism role being taken on by the Pentagon, Defense Intelligence Agency covert operatives need to be able to approach potential sources in the United States without identifying themselves as government agents, George Peirce, the DIA's general counsel, said yesterday,” reports the Washington Post.
Supreme Court Rejects Appeal to Lift Gag Order in Patriot Act Case
The Jurist reports: “US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Friday rejected an emergency appeal filed by the ACLU on behalf of Connecticut libraries seeking to overturn a gag order that prevents a library involved in the litigation from revealing its name, and bars its librarians from testifying in upcoming congressional hearings on the Patriot Act.”
Friday, October 07, 2005
House Passes Bill for Private Screeners
The Associated Press reports that lawmakers in the House, many of them upset with the performance of the Transportation Security Administration, has passed a bill shielding airports from lawsuits if they switch to private screeners.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Business Groups Want to Limit Patriot Act
“Some prominent business organizations are complaining to Congress that the Patriot Act makes it too easy for the government to get confidential business records,” reports Business Week.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Bush Pushes Congress to Renew the Patriot Act
The Star-Ledger reports: “President Bush yesterday called on Congress to deliver a Patriot Act renewal bill to his desk, noting that unlike parts of the law, ‘terrorist threats won't expire.’”
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Stone and Posner Debate: What's Wrong With the Patriot Act?
Law professor Geoffrey R. Stone and Justice Richard A. Posner go head-to-head in this evolving online debate over “What’s Wrong With The Patriot Act?” Read it here.
Report: FBI Criminal Cases Down by Nearly Half, Reflecting Focus on Stopping Terrorism
According to the Justice Department's internal auditor, "The number of criminal cases opened by the FBI has dropped by nearly half since 2000, a reflection of the bureau's shift toward stopping terrorist attacks."
High Court Input Eyed in Patriot Act Case
The Mercury News reports, “The Supreme Court was asked Monday to let libraries speak out about FBI demands for their records in a case involving the Patriot Act anti-terrorism law.”
Monday, October 03, 2005
FCC Releases Orders for Internet Backdoor Wiretap Access
The New Standard has this article: “Quietly last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a 59-page document outlining new rules forcing broadband internet and voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone service providers to open up their systems to federal, state and local law enforcement officials.”
Bill Would Give Cover to Pentagon Spies in U.S.
The Los Angeles Times reports: “Pentagon intelligence operatives would be allowed to collect information from U.S. citizens without revealing their status as government spies under legislation approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee and publicly released this week.”
FBI Admits Mistakes in Security Wiretaps
"The FBI says it sometimes gets the wrong number when it intercepts conversations in terrorism investigations, an admission critics say underscores a need to revise wiretap provisions in the Patriot Act," reports The New York Times.
