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Category Archives: Patriot Act

Trio of Commerce Chairmen Call for Further Investigation Based on Latest Domestic Surveillance Allegations

Electronic Frontier Foundation: “Three powerful House Commerce Committee Chairmen strongly urged their colleagues Thursday to defer acting on requests for retroactive immunity and to demand more information from the White House and the telecommunications companies in the wake of disclosures by another whistleblower that the government apparently has been granted an open gateway to customer… Continue Reading

DOJ OIG Reports: Drug Control Funds and Related Performance, Report to Congress on Implementation of Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act

Annual Accounting and Authentication of Drug Control Funds and Related Performance – Fiscal Year 2007, Audit Report 08-05, January 2008 (Commentary and Summary Only) Office of Justice Programs, State and Local Emergency Preparedness Grant Awarded to the Maryland Department of State Police, Grant Number 2003-DD-BX-0002, Audit Report GR-30-08-001, January 2008 (Executive Summary Only) Office of… Continue Reading

EFF Wins Fast-Track Release of Telecom Lobbying Records

Press release: “Late Tuesday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) won the speedy release of telecom lobbying records from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The agency was ordered to comply with a new December 10 deadline — in time for the documents to play a role in the congressional debate over granting… Continue Reading

Speech by Deputy Director of National Intelligence Calls for New View of Privacy

AP: “Privacy no longer can mean anonymity, says Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence. Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguard people’s private communications and financial information…Kurt Opsahl, a senior staff lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation…said Kerr ignores the distinction between sacrificing protection from an intrusive government and… Continue Reading

Judge Orders Telecoms to Preserve Evidence in Government Surveillance Cases

Press release: “A federal judge today ruled on a preservation motion filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), ordering that telecommunications companies must preserve any evidence of collaborating with the government in illegal spying on ordinary Americans. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker ordered the telecommunications companies to halt any routine destruction… Continue Reading

New on LLRX.com for October 2007

Cultural Challenges in Cross Border Mediation, by Vikrant Singh Negi Persuading Judges in Writing: Tips for Lawyers (And how technology can help), by Troy Simpson Competitive Intelligence on a Shoestring, by Susan Armstrong and Sabrina I. Pacifici E-Discovery Update: Discovery of Employee-Owned Computer Equipment, by Conrad J. Jacoby The Government Domain: Journalists and Government Information:… Continue Reading

Senate Intelligence Committee Passed Legislation to Modernize FISA

Press release, October 18, 2007: “Senator Jay Rockefeller and Senator Kit Bond, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee…announced that the Senate Intelligence Committee passed legislation to modernize FISA. The bill, which passed by a strong bipartisan vote, will improve the recently enacted Protect America Act that aimed to fix collection problems related… Continue Reading

Telecommunications Companies Respond to Committee Inquiry into NSA Wiretapping Program Participation

Press release: “Three telecommunications companies have provided responses to inquiries by the Committee on Energy and Commerce about their involvement with the National Security Agency warrantless wiretapping program. On October 2, Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, and Rep.… Continue Reading

Conyers, Reyes Introduce FISA Revision Legislation

Press release: “Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) introduced The Responsible Electronic Surveillance that is Overseen, Reviewed, and Effective Act of 2007 – the RESTORE Act,in an effort to address concerns about civil liberty protections in the hastily-enacted Protect America Act that was signed into… Continue Reading

Hearing on Warrantless Surveillance and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Warrantless Surveillance and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: The Role of Checks and Balances in Protecting Americans’ Privacy Rights (Part II). Statements of Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence and Kenneth Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, United States Department of Justice. LLRX.com: The Protect America Act and Legislation… Continue Reading