From The Guardian:
Plans for a £2bn Home Office surveillance project to track details of everyone’s email, mobile phone, text and internet use have been put on hold after a consultation raised concerns over its technical feasibility, costs and privacy safeguards.
The Home Office has confirmed that legislation for the project, known in Whitehall as the “interception [...]
Archive of posts filed under the Big Brother's Shadow category.
From the UK – Legislation to access public’s texts and emails put on hold
EFF Obtains Records from Behind-the-Scenes Negotiations on Telecom Immunity
From the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Today the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) posted thousands of pages of records detailing behind-the-scenes negotiations between government agencies and Congress about providing immunity for telecoms involved in illegal government surveillance.
The documents include drafts of legislation and communications between Congress and the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Director [...]
House Judiciary Committee Approves Strong PATRIOT Act Reform
From OMB Watch:
In a 16-10 party-line vote on Nov. 5, the House Committee on the Judiciary approved H.R. 3845, the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009. The legislation contains several important reforms of controversial surveillance powers granted in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Republicans on the committee claimed that “the legislation would hinder [...]
As Congress Considers State Secrets Reform, Obama Admin Tries to Shut Down Yet Another Warrantless Wiretapping Lawsuit
From the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
In a Court filing late Friday night, the Obama Administration attempted to dress up in new clothes its embrace of one of the worst Bush Administration positions — that courts cannot be allowed to review the National Security Agency’s massive, well-documented program of warrantless surveillance. In doing so it demonstrated that [...]
California Library Association Passes Resolution to Restore Civil Liberties: USA PATRIOT Act
From the California Library Association:
The California Library Association (CLA) has just announced a resolution calling on Congress to dramatically revise the up-for-renewal USA PATRIOT Act, passed hurriedly in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks.
CLA Resolution on 2009 Reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act (481k)
Librarians says Leahy let them down on Patriot Act
From the Times Argus:
Sen. Patrick Leahy is finding himself at odds with privacy-protecting librarians in the state — a group that usually has praise for Vermont’s senior U.S. Senator and has often worked with him in the past.
Obama Sides with Republicans; PATRIOT Act Renewal Bill Passes Senate Judiciary Committee Minus Critical Civil Liberties Reforms
From the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Well, it looks like most of the Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee weren’t swayed by this morning’s New York Times editorial, which cited this morning’s Committee meeting to consider USA PATRIOT Act renewal as a “critical chance to add missing civil liberties and privacy protections, address known abuses and trim [...]
Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger: PATRIOT Edition
From the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Yesterday’s Senate Judiciary mark-up of legislation to renew expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act was extremely disheartening–in particular because of many committee Democrats’ failure to support new civil liberties reforms to PATRIOT (see our summary here). Those Senators who failed to stand foursquare behind Americans’ right to privacy against government [...]
Prompted by EFF Lawsuit, FBI (Partially) Releases Domestic Surveillance Guidelines
From the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released a heavily censored version of its controversial Domestic Investigations and Operations Guidelines (DIOG), which became effective on December 1, 2008. EFF requested public disclosure of the guidelines under the Freedom of Information Act in December and, after more than six months passed with no [...]
Congress Braces for Patriot Act Battle
From OMB Watch:
On Sept. 22, Congress began hearings on USA Patriot Act provisions that are set to expire on Dec. 31. Some legislators and the president are seeking to retain controversial portions of the act, albeit in modified form.