Protecting privacy by eliminating it. Orwell would have been proud.

A Senate proposal touted as protecting Americans’ e-mail privacy has been quietly rewritten, giving government agencies more surveillance power than they possess under current law, CNET has learned.
[…]
✭ Grants warrantless access to Americans’ electronic correspondence to over 22 federal agencies. Only a subpoena is required, not a search warrant signed by a judge based on probable cause.
✭ Permits state and local law enforcement to warrantlessly access Americans’ correspondence stored on systems not offered “to the public,” including university networks.
✭ Authorizes any law enforcement agency to access accounts without a warrant — or subsequent court review — if they claim “emergency” situations exist.
✭ Says providers “shall notify” law enforcement in advance of any plans to tell their customers that they’ve been the target of a warrant, order, or subpoena.
✭ Delays notification of customers whose accounts have been accessed from 3 days to “10 business days.” This notification can be postponed by up to 360 days.



  1. McCullough says:

    Yeah, a Democrat (Leahy) initiative…thanks a lot guys. But go ahead, just keep voting for these assholes.

    I’m sure you will feel “safer”.

    • DUH says:

      Haven’t you heard what they’ve been saying all along?

      THEY KNOW BETTER!

      “THEY” (can I say that any clearer?) KNOW BETTER!!!

      They want to be (y)our PARENTS because you DON’T know a damned thing. You are just some stupid ass CITIZEN! And since they are all “enlightened” anyway they have a DUTY to “help you” since you don’t know how to help yourself. THIS IS THE DEMOCRAT PHILOSOPHY!

      Not that the Republican philosophy of, “take take take and screw you if you can’t keep up” is any better.

      And all of these stupid cattle who keep voting “them” back into office sort of PROVES IT! “THEY” DO KNOW BETTER!

      (Makes me want to puke too.)

      • msbpodcast says:

        If there is crap on one side of the aisle and shit on the other, why the fuck do you want to keep going down the same old path?

        That’s about as stupid as the following statement: Man my head hurts when I hit it with this ball peen hammer. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if I used a claw hammer.

        No you fuckin’ moron. Hitting yourself in the head is always going to give you a headache. It doesn’t matter what kind of hammer you use.

        If you want to stop bleeding, stop trying to decide on the size of the blade to use which would make the cleanest cut to slash your wrists with.

        Stop hitting yourselves in the fucking head. Stop slashing your wrists.

        Stop electing any of these bastards.

        Selection as opposed to election is the way to go.

  2. super77 says:

    Why do lawmakers do this kind of crap? They try to fly things under the radar or pigging back a few lines of bonus copy to the detriment of the people.

    • Somebody says:

      Probably because the only reaction is a spate of partisan bickering (like you are seeing here) with no real consequences.

      The real question is: WTF are we still putting up with this shit?

      Oh, that’s right, it’s a two party system. You have to vote for one of the space reptiles.

  3. Tom says:

    This bill has already been modified to eliminate that provision so it is a non-issue.

    http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552687-38/leahy-scuttles-his-warrantless-e-mail-surveillance-bill/

  4. TomT says:

    Under the right conditions, online activism can be very effective. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy has already abandoned his warrantless e-mail surveillance bill. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552687-38/leahy-scuttles-his-warrantless-e-mail-surveillance-bill/

    • Mr. Mackey says:

      Great, but there is still an issue…this moron needs to lose his seat. Or he will come back and sneak it in later, when we’re not paying attention

    • Jay says:

      Not supporting doesn’t mean it won’t come up though.

    • Captain Obvious says:

      Never let old men near this stuff. The Republicans in congress stuffing good ideas on patent reform.

  5. spsffan says:

    Or they could use the traditional method where you just disappear one night. Nobody will know how or why, which avoids all the legal problems. 🙂

    Welcome to the American Gulag!

  6. Gildersleeve says:

    No no, this is what happens when the Congress is packed with LAWYERS. Never mind what gang they belong to.

    • msbpodcast says:

      They’re all 1%ers.

      That’s the gang they belong to.

      You’re a 99%er and as such have no representation and therefore no rights.

      Just drop your pants, grab your ankles, and get ready for Uncle Sam.

  7. UncDon says:

    Just remember:

    If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about.

    • msbpodcast says:

      If you own anything, worry, ’cause its going to get taken from you. (Eminent domain is a great thing, specially if you’re a real-estate developer.)

      If you own nothing, the cops will send you packing and abuse the fuck out of you until you’re out of their jurisdiction.

  8. Uncle Patso says:

    Leahy is hard to figure out — at times he has been a staunch supporter of privacy rights, especially in the early days of BBSes and the transition to the Internet. Then at other times he helps write the Patriot Act or pulls stuff like this.

  9. sargasso_c says:

    Hazard of living in perpetual war?

  10. Somebody says:

    “Orwell would have been proud.”

    He was really kind of opposed to that sort of thing.

  11. deowll says:

    The DNC media doesn’t care. They only report news that reflects positively on Comrade Obama and his supporters. Most Americans watch the DNC media and don’t have a clue and could care less if they did.

    Let’s be honest and add that the only way Fox will notice this story is if hundreds to thousands of people tell them about it.

    • GregAllen says:

      “Comrade Obama” ?!?!

      Really?

      Could you be a bigger parody of yourself?

  12. GregAllen says:

    Calling all Geeks! We need you so save us!

    We need you to build encryption and privacy into all our on-line tools.

    Microsoft, Google and Apple aren’t going to do it. We need you!

    Your moment is now.

  13. MartinJJ says:

    Like the Echalon super computers are not scanning your e-mail already. This would probably make their illegal activities legal also.


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