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On December 31, three provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that broadly expanded government surveillance authority in the wake of 9/11 are set to expire.
Senator Russ Feingold and nine other senators have introduced S. 1686, the JUSTICE Act to reform our surveillance laws, including the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. The JUSTICE Act reins in the government’s spying powers by (from the ACLU):
* Protecting First Amendment rights
* Protecting the privacy of records
* Protecting the privacy of communications
* Protecting the privacy of homes and businesses
* Targeting terror prosecutions on those who intend to help terrorits
* Holding companies responsible for conspiring with government to break the law.For more detail on the JUSTICE Act, visit the EFF, the ACLU, Senator Feingold’s JUSTICE Act announcement and fact sheet, and the act text.
Pass Justice Act: Reform Patriot Act, Repeal Telecomm Immunity |
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| By: Neil Tuesday September 29, 2009 11:27 am | |
1 Comment
Feingold tells it like it is.
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“There can be no question that statutory changes to our surveillance
laws are necessary. Since the Patriot Act was first passed in 2001, we
have learned important lessons, and perhaps the most important of all
is that Congress cannot grant the government overly broad authorities
and just keep its fingers crossed that they won’t be misused. “
http://ftp.fas.org/irp/congress/2009_cr/s1686.html