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Congress Is About To Vote On Expanding the Warrantless Surveillance of Americans (vice.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: On Tuesday afternoon, a handful of U.S. Representatives will convene to review an amendment that would reauthorize warrantless foreign surveillance and expand the law so that it could include American citizens. It would, in effect, legalize a surveillance practice abandoned by the NSA in 2017 in order to appease the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which found the NSA to have abused its collection capacity several times. If it passes Tuesday's review, the bill may be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives as early as Thursday. Drafted by the House Intelligence Committee last December, the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 is an amendment to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It is one of six different FISA-related bills under consideration by Congress at the moment, but by far the most damaging to the privacy rights of American citizens.
FISA was enacted in 1978, but Section 702, referred to by former FBI Director James Comey as the "crown jewels of the intelligence community," wasn't added until 2008. This section allows intelligence agencies to surveil any foreigner outside the U.S. without a warrant that the agency considers a target. The problem is that this often resulted in the warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens as well due to two loopholes known as "backdoor searches" and "about collection." Backdoor search refers to a roundabout way of monitoring Americans' communications. Since intelligence agencies are able to designate any foreigner's communications as a target for surveillance, if this foreigner has communicated with an American this means this American's communications are then also considered fair game for surveillance by the agency.
FISA was enacted in 1978, but Section 702, referred to by former FBI Director James Comey as the "crown jewels of the intelligence community," wasn't added until 2008. This section allows intelligence agencies to surveil any foreigner outside the U.S. without a warrant that the agency considers a target. The problem is that this often resulted in the warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens as well due to two loopholes known as "backdoor searches" and "about collection." Backdoor search refers to a roundabout way of monitoring Americans' communications. Since intelligence agencies are able to designate any foreigner's communications as a target for surveillance, if this foreigner has communicated with an American this means this American's communications are then also considered fair game for surveillance by the agency.
The government absolutely needs to the legal ability to keep the 99% under constant surveillance in order to ensure that they don't rise up against the 1%, after all.
I see no reason "they" should not be required to obtain a warrant to surveil Americans. Aren't we presumed innoncent?
You're going to be surveilled, whether it's legal or not, so you might as well just legalise it and give up the pretence that you live in a free country.
Nice Article thanks for sharing
Cool, thanks for the post I'll check it out!
The UN Ambassador certainly needs the ability to not only surveil non-US persons, but also the ability to unmask hundreds of US citizens themselves.
How the hell else is Obama going to use the FBI to spy on Trump in order to help Hillary!
Thought provoking, thanks for the read
Donald Trump is not Hussein Obama
Donald Trump isn't interested in knowing everything every American does every second of every single day
Donald Trump did not ask for those draconian measures
It was the *DEMONCRAPS* who tagged on all those draconian stuffs
He's toast. Congress will pass it. If Trump vetos it, the Deep State will remove him from office; specifically because of the on-going and never ending farce Russian collusion story.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Life is not for the lazy.
Dumbshits
It would, in effect, legalize a surveillance practice abandoned by the NSA in 2017...
AND hey, this is what we do in the United State of America: sling on agenda measures on to bills that are either completely 180 to what it's being appended to, ambiguous loopholes to get around the bill up for question or, in cases like this, just Texas Hold'em all-in.
Don't care if there is some piece of paper that 'says what they do', it's happening now, and hasn't ceased just because Snowdon.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects,against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Stupid little thing called the 4th Amendment... Any conflicts?
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Bring it on.
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Well, I tried.
I used to work with a few Syrian expatriates who were nominally Muslim. They were shocked at the level of Saudi influence in the mosques in our region and had to really bounce around to find one that was not on the take. That's their word, not mine. They could not believe that we'd spend so much time and money on "surveillance," but allow what would be the equivalent of open KGB recruitment (as in uniformed Soviet officers at career fairs) on college campuses during the Cold War.
I have a much simpler and less constitutionally dangerous solution:
1. Pass a law forbidding the funding of any domestic organization by a foreign government except the Vatican.
2. Authorize the use the corporate death penalty and full asset forfeiture for any organization convicted of intentionally accepting that funding.
3. Pass a law that amends immigration law to provide for the banishment of any foreigner who is convicted of espionage or sedition.
4. Prosecute all extremist preachers (like Wahabis and Salafists) under the Sedition Act.
5. Pass a law providing the courts with the discretionary power to remove the citizenship of any foreign-born person who is convicted of sedition or espionage
Male privilege is a concept within sociology for examining social, economic, and political advantages or rights that are available to men solely on the basis of their sex. A man's access to these benefits may vary depending on how closely they match their society's ideal masculine norm.
Feminist scholarship in the area of women's studies during the 1970s produced the earliest academic studies of privilege. These studies began by examining barriers to equity between the sexes. In later decades, researchers began to focus on the intersectionality and overlapping nature of privileges relating to sex, race, social class, sexual orientation, and other forms of social classification.
Male privilege is often examined alongside the concept of patriarchy within the feminist movement. The use of masculine pronouns to refer to both sexes in some languages is often cited as an example of the privileged position given to males, as is the preference for sons over daughters in many cultures.
In 2008, DEMOCRATS controlled both the House and the Senate.
Hey, they had to lay the groundwork for a surveillance regime to use against Trump.
Why else would we need the FBI to use a bogus "dossier" to get a FISA warrant against Trump's campaign and then have UN Ambassador Susan Rice unmask all of them?
And then feed all that to Robert Mueller?
I think it's hilarious that they don't realize that it's their own insatiable desire to spy on everyone that is the primary driving force behind the spread of encrypted communications. That they don't realize this truth makes it all the more funny.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety". Benjamin Franklin.
All you can do is watch it fail.
The Republicans - and ALL I see are REPUBLICANS behind this - will pass this, Trump will sign it, and anyone who votes against it will be labeled as "soft on terrorism".
The moronic Republicans all think the evil brown skinned Muslims are all out to kill them and ISIS is just about to invade our country.
So, this shit will pass, every "small government" Republican will vote for it and yet more of our freedoms will disappear. But don't worry! Even though they can watch us with impunity you still get to keep your AR-15 - for now.
People get the government they deserve.
US politicians have re-authorized Sections 702, 703, 704 and Title VII of FISA, multiple times already. So it will be this time, with some new powers added.
The US government amended FISA in 2001 and 2008; such a schedule suggests that further amendments are overdue. Besides, they've got to match the snooper's charter of the UK and Australia, which allows the government to plant evidence.
In 1934, the US courts decided that wire-tapping was not searching. While that changed in 1967, issues of national security were exempted. The original purpose of FISA in 1978 was to prevent warrant-less wire-tapping and remove national security warrants from general judicial duties. After the 2001 attack on the WTC, FISA was deemed too bureaucratic and authority to surveil was taken directly from the US president. This allows the president to authorize surveillance and the use of military force (AUMF).
This is yet another example of Congress doing something they have no authority to do. As a U.S. Citizen we have the right to be free of unreasonable searches. It's a RIGHT the same as freedom of speech and freedom of religion. If Congress passed a law tomorrow saying you must be a Jew, or Muslim, or Athiest or Hindu, would the law have any validity?
Congress does not have the power to trump the Constitution of the United States of America, that would require a Constitutional Amendment. Yet, if it passes and somehow get's signed into law, they would ignore that legal responsibility, and later some agency would further violate our rights and reference this "law" as making it okay and legal for them to do so.
It's invalid from the moment of conception, as is FISA / FICA / FISC or whatever other organization name you want to use.
The other courts of our nation have the DUTY to block this with their gavel. "No Congress, you will not do these things.", "No Executive branch, you will not do these things". And if the courts claim they can't just act without it being brought before the court first, then how did the 9th Circuit, 4th Circuit, and 5th Circuit obstruct President Trump's travel ban?
It's a coup by Congress to destroy the freedoms of the United States of America, and President Trump sees this.
These events are the things that brought us to the brink of a shooting civil war, and if Clinton would have been in office, I'm sure she would just support that completely.
We didn't vote for Trump because we like him; We voted for Trump because we hate all of Congress.
There...fixed it for you.
At some point any additional surveillance is going to do more to convert people to extremism than to help prevent it.
We need MORE encryption, not less, as the FBI wants.
We'll need it _everywhere_!
Apparently the U.S. is no longer a democracy. Numerous mostly hidden agencies have control, and want more control.
Links about Trump
from 18 different organizations
Trump moving toward starting a nuclear war:
> Trump Says His "Nuclear Button" Is "Much Bigger" Than North Korea's (Jan. 2, 2018, New York Times)
Two unstable people threaten each other.
> How Does Trump Trump Trump? Start a War. (Jan. 6, 2018, Huffington Post)
> Cartoon: "My nuclear button is bigger than yours!" (Jan. 4, 2018, Gary Varvel at ArcaMax.com)
Trump's lies:
> In 298 days, President Trump has made 1,628 false and misleading claims (Nov. 13, 2017, Washington Post)
> President Trump's Lies, the Definitive List (Dec. 14, 2017, New York Times)
> In a 30-minute interview, President Trump made 24 false or misleading claims. (Dec. 29, 2017, Washington Post)
> 10 Falsehoods From Trump's Interview With The Times (Dec. 29, 2017, New York Times)
> Trump takes credit for zero aviation deaths worldwide. (Jan. 2, 2018, Trump's Twitter account)
Replies:
"I'm gonna take credit for puppies being cute..."
"Guess who's responsible for designing the cute kangaroo pouches that keep little Joeys safe? That right, it was Me. ME. ME!"
"That's a job well done, thank you, but don't forget I gave dolphins their blowholes! Without me, they would've drowned!"
Books about Trump:
> Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff (Published Jan. 5, 2018)
Four days after publication, there were 1,432 customer reviews; 82% were 5-star reviews.
> Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic by David Frum (Published Jan. 16, 2018)
> Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency by Joshua Green (Published July 18, 2017)
> Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win by Luke Harding (Published Nov. 16, 2017)
> It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America by David Cay Johnston (Published Jan. 16, 2018)
Sexual abuse:
> The 19 Women Who Accused President Trump of Sexual Misconduct (Dec. 7, 2017, The Atlantic.com)
Mental instability:
> Incoherent, authoritarian, uninformed: Trump's New York Times interview is a scary read. (Dec. 30, 2017, CNBC) Quotes:
"President Donald Trump tells a
Darren Reed, which More grandiose channel, you might visit when IDC recently gains market share OF AMERICA) today, Mutated testicle of ago, many of you To decline for has steadily fanatic known getting together to bleak future. In All our 7imes have Charnel house. The be on a wrong I don't want to lizard - In other do and doing what is busy infighting by clicking here it was fun. If I'm was after a long and reports and OS. Now BSDI is (I always bring my Enjoy the loud it racist for a
When you have many groups in a nation, and many of them hate each other, you will have massive instability. Add technology into the mix and you have a surveillance state. Before this nifty new tech, it would have simply been an informant state as in the Soviet Union: turn in a coworker and get twice as many beets in your soup this week.
Alternative Right.
USAmericans love their #freedumbs!
If you read this:
Would Trump's man in the CIA (a man named Mike Pompeo) give Putin surveillance data on US citizens? You might say "obviously not, fake news" etc.
What if Putin said they were suspected terrorists?
What if Putin said they were suspected muslim terrorists?
I mention this because CIA has been sharing data with Putin and they've been doing a little PR two-step, and if there's no limit on surveillance data to Trump, there's no limit on surveillance data to Putin:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/putin-thanks-trump-for-cia-intel-that-foiled-a-planned-terrorist-attack-in-russia-the-kremlin-says/2017/12/17/f4274600-e349-11e7-9ec2-518810e7d44d_story.html
Which put the US democracy at risk of further Putinization.
WHAT! He SIGNED the bill. He's a GLOBAL TOO? Is there NO ONE that DIANE FEINSTEIN won't take to BED???
There's a very simple solution that allows one to completely avoid this surveillance- don't talk to foreigners. It often ends poorly. For example, it is known that talking to Slovenian women leads to disaster.
Every Congressman that votes to extend Section 702 is a traitor to the Constitution and Bill of Rights and a clear an present threat to both the civil rights and physical safety of every single American.
Being surveilled is one thing, Putin didn't just 'spy on' the election, he hacked both sides. With access to all those passwords and all that data, all the exploits that NIST has and the NSA has, and the CIA has, that's become much much more easy.
If there's no wall between innocent people and the CIA, and there's no wall internally between CIA and Trump political appointee, and no wall between Trump and Putin, then there is no wall between every vulnerable critical system and Putin. And Putin's is a known attacker of the US.
So you're essentially saying, USA should just roll over and be taken over.
give them all the powers they want over freedom - else we get socialism!
for the Reichstag to burn down.
*"Cogito Ergo Liberalis"*
I don't like the alt-right buzzwords any more than you do, but Feinstein does love selling us out to the intelligence community; it's a bi-partisan thing.
The Judicial Branch has entirely abdicated its responsibility to protect us from the government. Indeed, it seems that SCOTUS believes the reverse. In theory, Congress could pass all the snooping laws they wanted, but the judges would promptly swat them down on 4th Amendment grounds.
"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it " -- Learned Hand
Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
About 95% of Americans who vote, are strongly, overwhelmingly in favor of vastly increasing government surveillance and the amount of money spent on it. Any politician of any degree of leftness or rightness, is absolutely safe in supporting legislation to make us less free in this regard. Sure, you piss off 5% of voters, but 95% of voters have your back. And even that 5% who resists is only in presidential elections; in the races for Congress it's so close to 100.0% that no poller can possibly tell the difference.
There are absolutely no downsides for any member of Congress to vote for this bill. If they vote for it, they'll be supported. If they vote against it, they take a risk that the member of the competing party who votes for it, will get an edge.
Right now, the evidence is Team FBI didâ(TM)t ask for a FISA warrant before data collection began on Team Trump preceding the election. They used the âoeask provisionâ to get data on Trump Tower already being collected by the NSA ( no âoewiretappingâ needed, which is why the Trump team abruptly moved HQ out to Trumpâ(TM)s golf course property). Fusion GPS placed people known to be under surveillance with Trump staff (Veselnitskaya) as released docs now show. Then, the âoeinsurance policyâ was to create the Russian narrative using the DNC / Fusion GPS contracted dossier as retroactive justification of spying on political opponents.
It doesnâ(TM)t matter what the rules are if you donâ(TM)t follow rules. The whole Russia collusion mess is just a cover for gold old fashioned spying on political opponents, 2016â(TM)s Watergate.
Ok, let's be clear about this. This "debate" is about what we suspect is still going on and about what Congress refuses to even ask of what is being done under FISA or the Patriot Act.
Most Americans including myself don't give a damn whether or not the Federal government is spying on the communications in and out of the US if it were actually being targeted at communications with terrorists, certain foreign institutions and foreign governments as part of legitimate national security and international criminal investigations... However the understanding of people that follow how this has been evolving is that this is merely a pretext for mass surveillance of internal communications and sending it over a wire to ease dropping facilities outside the US. Which would be blatantly a violation of the US Constitution if it were ever fully revealed... which is exactly the type of program that has been long rumored and based on leaks seems to have been what has been developed by US spy agencies.
And there are absolutely NO PROTECTIONS for preventing that or for Congress to even know if that is happening as they rubber stamp levels of spending on infrastructure that could and has been rumored to be doing exactly that.
At the very least the reporting requirements could be required to say how many "incidental" collections there are of Americans communications originating or terminating inside the US... I suspect that pretty much that number would be tens of millions of Americans or hundreds of millions of Americans which is exactly why Congress is afraid to ask because they know they would need to shut down mass surveillance if it were ever revealed to them.
For all the talk about how spying on Americans communications with foreigners is wrong... maybe it is. And I think it would be great if the world got together and really worked out how to prohibit mass surveillance in the rest of the world. Ultimately we should hope for a world were civil rights are respected around the world... but at the very least, here at home we need to step back from the police state mass surveillance infrastructure that has been built ready made for mass abuse and then start worrying about how this could infringe on Americans rights abroad.
To do that we need Congress to start by asking the question about how many Americans are having their communications hoovered up by mass surveillance under FISA orders.
Since intelligence agencies are able to designate any foreigner's communications as a target for surveillance, if this foreigner has communicated with an American this means this American's communications are then also considered fair game for surveillance by the agency.
First off, note that this is what was used to catch Trump's ppl committing treason. We were listening in on Russian/Chinese/Amongst others communications and caught trump's ppl asking for a different secured way to talk to them. This occurred PRIOR to Trump being elected.
Secondly, just because you talk to a foreigner outside of our nation does NOT mean that they can then listen to all your calls. There has to be REASONABLE reason for such a thing to happen. Now, if you talk to a known/suspected terrorists/spy/etc, then yes. You WILL be listened to. That was exactly what the modification was for. But, if I call/e-mail a friend of mine in Australia or Germany or Russia or China and they are clean, it does mean that the intel world can/will listen to my future data.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
TAILS, TAILS, TAILS
Money is non-partisan. It doesn't care. Neither should you.
Is there NO ONE that DIANE FEINSTEIN won't take to BED???
For the right deal, the answer is obviously NO! You don't get that kind of power unless you play along. She is indeed one of the most corrupt, captured by big business, people in congress. But she brings back what her peeps want, so win she will.
You're going to be surveilled, whether it's legal or not, so you might as well just legalise it and give up the pretence that you live in a free country.
This law still doesn't legalize it... but it does make it seem legal enough to get the funding for mass surveillance and to get the cooperation of the big telecoms as long as all the details are kept secret so the public doesn't know and the courts can't intervene.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
They will expand it enough to make SOOTUS grumpy and hopefully that will kill it.
- I Blame Trump for the Designated Hitter rule.
- I Blame Trump for the fact that toilets flush clockwise.
- I Blame Trump for the decline in the quality of KFC gravy.
Face it man, Trump is Evil! He is responsible for all the bad. Only his very stable genius has allowed him to survive and continue being Evil.
If you are phoning someone in Pakistan or Yemen or receiving calls from there, I have no problem with monitoring the calls. If you are an American and are doing so, I suspect you are not a patriot. So freakin' what. Only a tiny percentage of Americans are affected and most of them are not loyal to this country.
Let them have the tools to defend this country.
"It's OK when we do it!"
Really? - cause prior to Obama the same investigations were going on...and the same unmasking and no legal framework was around any of it. (That's what started this law in the first place).
....
Seriously this has been going on for years and now they are trying to cover their tracks and make it legal?
"Politics is the art by which politicians get money from the rich and votes from the poor in the pretext of protecting each from the other" --Oscar
Casteism