From the American Bar Association President, this November 9, 2005 letter (3 pages, PDF) requests that conferees seeking to reach agreement on the House (H.R. 3199) and Senate versions (S. 1389) accept language reforming sections 206, 213 and 215. These sections address limitations to the use of wiretaps, search warrants for homes and businesses, and… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Patriot Act
Rep. Conyers Launches Patriot Act Resource Site
Rep. Conyer’s Patriot Act Action Center includes links to Patriot Act resources from government and advocacy sources, a chronology of Congressional action on the legislation (which links to a series of beSpacific postings), recent news articles, and “What the Blogs are Saying.” Continue Reading
Commentary on National Security Letters, Patriot Act Reauthorization, and Libraries
St. Petersburg Times (Florida), November 13, 2005. State of Secrets, State of Tortue; National security letters put privacy at risk, by Robyn E. Blumner, Perspective columnist. Continue Reading
Patriot Act National Security Letter Provisions Spotlighted in Recent News
Related news on the Names of Library Organization Members Gagged by FBI: PBS News Hour, A reporter discusses concerns surrounding the Patriot Act and access to private phone, e-mail, library and financial records. From American Library Association Washington Office Newsline: “Sunday’s article revealed that, since the PATRIOT Act changes, the FBI has been issuing “more… Continue Reading
Names of Library Organization Members Gagged by FBI
Follow-up to previous postings on FBI use of National Security Letters to obtain data on library patron use of online services in Connecticut: Washington Post,The FBI’s Secret Scrutiny. The Washington Post researched and reveals the names of the “John Doe’s” under the gag, and the name of their organization. Please also note that according to… Continue Reading
Group Seeks Ruling Again National Security Letter Authority of Patriot Act
Follow-up on Patriot Act reauthorization and libraries, from the ACLU: “In the first federal appeals court argument addressing a surveillance provision of the Patriot Act, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged a three-judge panel to uphold two separate rulings: one which found the National Security Letter (NSL) authority of the Patriot Act unconstitutional and… Continue Reading
EPIC FOIA Lawsuit Produces Documents on Illegal Surveillance Operations
From the Washington Post: FBI Papers Indicate Intelligence Violations Secret Surveillance Lacked Oversight From EPIC: “Documents obtained by EPIC under the Freedom of Informaton Act describe thirteen cases of possible FBI misconduct in intelligence investigations. The documents were released by the Bureau in response to an EPIC open government request for information about the FBI’s… Continue Reading
Business Groups Support Reforms to Sections of Patriot Act
From the ALA Office of Government Relations today: “Six important business organizations (including the United States Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and The Financial Services Roundtable) wrote to Senator Specter expressing “support for reforms to Sections 215 and 505 of the Patriot Act which allow the federal government to require voluminous and… Continue Reading
Kurt Vonnegut Salutes Librarians’ Role in Protecting Civil Liberties
An interview with Kurt Vonnegut in the October 6 USA Today, includes the following quote: “Music…cheers him, as do people who behave decently. Librarians too – “not famous for their physical strength” – who resist having books removed from shelves and refuse to give names to people who have checked out certain books in the… Continue Reading
ACLU Files Appeal With Supreme Court on Librarian Gag Order
Follow-up to my September 29, 2005 posting, Broad Coalition Pushes to Lift Gag Order Against Librarian, AP reports that yesterday the ACLU filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, the text of which is censored, to release an anonymous Connecticut librarian from a gag order concerning an FBI investigation into his/her organization’s patron records. ALA… Continue Reading
Challenge to FBI’s Use of National Security Letter Provision of Patriot Act Gains Ground
Following up on my September 1 posting, Will Librarian Go To Prison Over Patriot Act Challenge?, see this September 9 press release from the ACLU: “A federal judge today ruled that the FBI must lift a gag that is preventing an organization with library records from participating in the Patriot Act debate. The opinion comes… Continue Reading
Will Librarian Go To Prison Over Patriot Act Challenge?
Following up on my August 26 posting, Patriot Act Used to Demand Library Patron Records, this news from the ACLU: “In Legal Papers Unsealed Today, Librarian Speaks of Fear of Imprisonment Over Government Gag in Patriot Act Challenge.” The affidavit of the librarian who works for the ACLU’s Doe client is available here. This document… Continue Reading
