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White House Supports Renewal of Spy Law Without Reforms (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The Trump administration does not want to reform an internet surveillance law to address privacy concerns, a White House official told Reuters on Wednesday, saying it is needed to protect national security. The announcement could put President Donald Trump on a collision course with Congress, where some Republicans and Democrats have advocated curtailing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, parts of which are due to expire at the end of the year. The FISA law has been criticized by privacy and civil liberties advocates as allowing broad, intrusive spying. It gained renewed attention following the 2013 disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that the agency carried out widespread monitoring of emails and other electronic communications. Portions of the law, including a provision known as Section 702, will expire on Dec. 31 unless Congress reauthorizes them. Section 702 enables two internet surveillance programs called Prism and Upstream, classified details of which were revealed by Snowden. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have said reforms to Section 702 are needed, in part to ensure the privacy protections on Americans are not violated. The U.S. House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee met Wednesday to discuss possible changes to the law.
So far, the Republicans in Congress have been following along with Trump's lead. It seems unlikely that they will pick this as the issue to break ranks with him.
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
People didn't stand up strong enough last time, now this is the new normal. It's always harder to get back rights after they have been taken. Push hard to undo this, but don't expect anything to change. (Remember, they were also doing this before it was legalized).
-]Phreak Out[-
It's unfortunate that they are going to just let this be renewed, it was bad enough under Bush, but at least they are not expanding it like Obama did.
_ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
Pres. Obama did not seek changes for FISA and allowed its renewal. He also oversaw renewal of PATRIOT Act, twice. Well, he signed the a last-minute 4-year extension and then 4 years later signed the USA Freedom Act, which renewed the PATRIOT Act, which had finally expired.
That's unfair in this case since they're talking about renewing an existing law. That's much easier than making changes. You have to get those changes approved in both House and Senate committees then approved by both. I was a page for Ted Kennedy in 1977 when he wrote this bill. Blaming Trump for something Ted Kennedy wrote and Jimmy Carter signed is just ingenuous.
SURPRISE!
But seriously, President Obama was in love with the various spy laws as well...
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
That's pretty much a universal truth lately, isn't it?
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Blaming Twitler, or more likely, President Bannon, is not disingenuous. I almost don't care who wrote it originally, or who signed it. What matters is that it's being renewed now – just as it was about to sunset. The decision to renew it is his, not Kennedy's or Carter's. Do we need it now? Why exactly?
I don't know, but maybe if we remind the Conservitards that it was a Dem idea, they'll poo poo it solely on that basis.
Trump is a slimy politician just like all the Career politicians.
Not one of them give a flying fuck about the constitution.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
...and at what cost?
Follow the money.
Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
Welcome to the new boss, same as the old boss.
Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
We're living in bizarre times. We have the best communication technology available in the history of humankind, and yet it's politically foolish to be a political leader rather than an elected follower.
Frankly, if anyone could have ended our security state, it's Trump. He was only sorta joking when he said he could shoot someone and his voters wouldn't care. He says "we don't need big brother spying on us" and BAM, a good chunk of america decides we don't need security theater. Which makes it all the more frustrating to see what he chooses to do instead.
It's unfortunate that they are going to just let this be renewed, it was bad enough under Bush, but at least we haven't found out that they're expanding it like Obama did.
FTFY
There are still 10 months left in the year for them to decide that Trump deserves even wider surveillance powers to prevent imaginary attacks like the Bowling Green massacre.
Given that most Americans favor the surveillance, including both Republicans and Democrats...
This is why majority rule has hit the brick wall. It always ends in tyranny...
Which is why we are a Republic, and not a pure Democracy. The founders knew that Democracy always fails, there were plenty of historical examples for them to study.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
The last time that split with the US and UK was considered in any detail was near the end of 1945 during a crypto review.
What the US and UK understood, what codes they had on Japan and Germany in the 1930's-45. What was held back and what would have been vital in the war with Japan.
The feeling was split. Go alone and try and decode Russia, China, Asia using local experts after 1945. Or sign up with what would be the NSA, CIA and get given all the raw intercepts in real time.
The cost and risk of going alone into the 1950's or give the US total access to Australia.
The same charm was used on West German staff after ww2, now German staff.
Data privacy was given away. The deal was for all Soviet and Asian gov, mil networks ready for translation, raw traffic in real time, decoded.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"