News release: “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking suggestions from the public on how it can increase its level of openness related to security at nuclear power plants and certain other facilities while still protecting sensitive information. A summary of the feedback will be posted on the NRCs Web site, provided to the Commission and… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Patriot Act
New on LLRX.com – Commentary: Congress and Immunity for Telecom Eavesdropping
Commentary: Immunity for Telecom Eavesdropping – Beth Wellington’s commentary tracks the legislative path of retroactive immunity for telecom eavesdropping. Published July 30, 2008. Continue Reading
FISA Amendments Act of 2008 Passed by Senate
On June 20, 2008 the House passed H.R. 6304, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. Today the Senate passed the bill. Related commentary and articles as follows: ACLU: Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill And Grants Sweeping Immunity To Phone Companies New York Times: Senate Approves Bill to Broaden Wiretap Powers WSJ Law Blog: “As the… Continue Reading
CDT: Legislation Needed to Correct Widespread Errors in use of National Security Letters
CDT Policy Post 14.5: National Security Letters: “Widespread errors in the use of National Security Letters requires legislative action, says a Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) paper released today. The documents are used by the FBI when seeking records containing sensitive personal information. Successive Inspector General reports have uncovered abuses and mistakes by the… Continue Reading
FBI Withdraws National Security Letter After ACLU and EFF Challenge
News release: “The FBI has withdrawn an unconstitutional national security letter (NSL) issued to the Internet Archive after a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). As the result of a settlement agreement, the FBI withdrew the NSL and agreed to the unsealing of the case, finally… Continue Reading
2007 Wiretap Report (For the Period January 1 Through December 31, 2007)
US Courts: “The number of intercepted wire, oral or electronic communications also known as wiretaps authorized by federal and state courts in 2007 was 20 percent higher than in 2006. Courts issued 2,208 such orders in 2007, compared to 1,839 in 2006, according to The 2007 Wiretap Report. The complete report contains information… Continue Reading
FISA Orders Up, Government Reporting on National Security Letters Begins
EPIC: “According to the 2007 FISA report, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved 2,370 application to conduct electronic surveillance and physical searches in the United States in 2007, up from 2,176 applications approved in 2006. For the first time, the report includes information regarding the total number of requests made by the Department of Justice… Continue Reading
DOJ OIG Testimony on FBI's Use of National Security Letters and Section 215 Orders for Business Records
Statement of Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice before the House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties concerning The FBIs Use of National Security Letters and Section 215 Orders for Business Records, April 15, 2008. Continue Reading
Gov't Requirements for Banks to Provide Suspicious Activity Reports
Newsweek: Unintended Consequences – Spitzer got snagged by the fine print of the Patriot Act “The Patriot Act gave the FBI new powers to snoop on suspected terrorists. In the fine print were provisions that gave the Treasury Department authority to demand more information from banks about their customers’ financial transactions. Congress wanted to help… Continue Reading
DOJ OIG: A Review of the FBIs Use of National Security Letters
Department of Justice Office of Inspector General: A Review of the FBIs Use of National Security Letters: Assessment of Corrective Actions and Examination of NSL Usage in 2006, March 2008, Unclassified, (187 pages, PDF) Related postings on National Security Letters Continue Reading
DOJ OIG: A Review of the FBIs Use of Section 215 Orders for Business Records
Department of Justice Office of Inspector General: A Review of the FBIs Use of Section 215 Orders for Business Records in 2006, March 2008, Unclassified (99 pages, PDF) Related postings on Section 215 of the Patriot Act Continue Reading
WSJ Reports on NSA's Expanding Domestic Surveillance Program and ACLU Files FOIA Request
Follow up to previous postings on TSA’s Total Information Awareness surveillance program, this news release today from the ACLU: “…According to the new Wall Street Journal report [subscription req’d], the NSA was engaging in broad domestic spying operations that involve collecting and analyzing the personal information of Americans in ways that are “essentially the same”… Continue Reading
