Because the government is not us. Last week, Republicans and Democrats in Congress joined President Barack Obama in congratulating themselves for taming the National Security Agency's voracious appetite for spying. By permitting one section of the Patriot Act to expire and by replacing it with the USA Freedom Act, the federal government ... MORE
Showing posts with label snooping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snooping. Show all posts
Andrew Napolitano: Lies The Government Is Telling You
Because the government is not us. Last week, Republicans and Democrats in Congress joined President Barack Obama in congratulating themselves for taming the National Security Agency's voracious appetite for spying. By permitting one section of the Patriot Act to expire and by replacing it with the USA Freedom Act, the federal government ... MORESheldon Richman: The USA Freedom Act Is Inscrutable Because Politicians Know Power Thrives On Complexity
Just as roaches flourish in the dark. In a democracy citizens prevent the government from abusing them by staying informed and exercising their "rights" under the system. They monitor the politicians’ and bureaucrats’ conduct, and when citizens see what they consider misbehavior, they act to stop it either by communicating ... MOREEdward Snowden Is A Patriot And Deserves Freedom
by Jacob Weisberg. What is the responsibility of public servants who believe that the government is abusing its authority? In most cases, US law encourages them to expose wrongdoing. The Whistleblower Protection Act passed in 1989 protects “any disclosure” that an employee reasonably believes indicates the violation of laws or rules, “gross ... MOREAndrew Napolitano: Neither Freedom Nor Safety
Doing away with probable cause for the illusion of security. In their continuous efforts to create the impression that the government is doing something to keep Americans safe, politicians in Washington have misled and lied to the public. They have violated their oaths to uphold the Constitution. They have created a false sense of security. And ... MORELeaked TISA Documents Reveal Another Privacy Threat
by Emma Woolacott. Under the draft provisions of the latest trade deal to be leaked by
Wikileaks, countries could be barred from trying to control where their
citizens’ personal data is held or whether it’s accessible from outside
the country. Wikileaks has released 17 documents
relating to the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), currently ... MORE
Rand Paul, Ron Wyden, & The End Of The 9/11 Terror Fog
by Nick Gillespie. So provisions in The Patriot Act have expired, including some (such as section 215) that won't be renewed when Congress gets around to passing the reform legislation known as The USA Freedom Act. This is good news, even if many of the Patriot Act's controversial elements will become authorized under the replacement bill. ... MORENew Privacy App Takes A Page From NSA Technology
by Rob Lever. Before the National Security Agency began complaining about being shut out of encrypted devices, it helped develop software for secure communications that could be adapted by the private sector. That technology is hitting the public this month in the form of a smartphone application called Scrambl3 from a California startup which ... MOREJohn W. Whitehead: One Nation Under Surveillance
The NSA's technotyranny. We now have a fourth branch of government. As I document in my new book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, this fourth branch came into being without any electoral mandate or constitutional referendum, and yet it possesses superpowers, above and beyond those of any other government ... MOREErica Werner: Government, What Big You Have!
Obama to Senate: more snooping, please. President Barack Obama called on the Senate Tuesday to extend key Patriot Act provisions before they expire five days from now, including the government's ability to search Americans' phone records. "This needs to get done," he told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's necessary to keep the ... MORESo Far, Rand Paul Is Winning His Fight: Senate Rejects USA Freedom Act & Rejects Extending NSA Collection Authority
by Scott Shackford. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was right. The Senate did not have enough votes to pass the USA Freedom Act, the compromise law that would have restrained, but not eliminated, mass data collection by the National Security Agency (NSA). The vote was 57-42 late this evening (technically early this morning), just ... MORERadley Balko: How Controversial Patriot Act Powers Are Now Overwhelmingly Deployed In Drug Investigations
Read by Rand Paul during his Patriot Act filibuster. One of the more controversial provisions of the Patriot Act was to broaden the “sneak-and-peek” power for federal law enforcement officials. The provision allows investigators to conduct searches without informing the target of the search. We were assured at the time that this ... MOREPCN Editorial: The Surveillance State Is Illegal
Court gives NSA thumbs down. A U.S. appeals court's ruling that the National Security Agency's metadata collection was illegal turned the spy state upside down in almost 100 pages of common sense and solid understanding of the rights Americans have under the law. It shows, once again, that both common sense and a respect for the rights ... MORE10 Great Points In Rand Paul’s Patriot Act Attack
by Matt Welch. I don't know whether Rand Paul's ongoing Senate talkfest will succeed in running out the clock on the Patriot Act,
or (as he is seeking) opening up a debate and amendment process, but I
do know that—just like his 2013 exercise—these have been some of the
most invigorating hours on C-SPAN in recent memory. Warrants need ... MORERon Hart: The Court Vindicates Edward Snowden
Who watches the watchers? “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” -Ben Franklin, 1759. Those of us who defended Edward Snowden in his efforts to expose our government’s illegal data collection activities were vindicated last week, as was Mr. Snowden. In essence, ... MOREAndrew Napolitano: Rand And Ted On The Fourth
When do you need a warrant? A decision last week about NSA spying by a panel of judges on the United States Court of Appeals in New York City sent shock waves through the government. The court ruled that a section of the Patriot Act that is due to expire at the end of this month and on which the government has relied as a basis for its bulk ... MOREJacob Sullum: 2 Cases That Illustrate Warrantless Snooping Goes Far Beyond The NSA's Phone-Record Dragnet
If only the Fourth Amendment had teeth. Last week a federal appeals court said
police do not need a warrant to look at cellphone records that reveal
everywhere you've been. Two days later, another appeals court said
the National Security Agency (NSA) is breaking the law by
indiscriminately collecting telephone records that show ... MORE
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