civil liberties

Media Minutes: February 10, 2012

Candace Clement — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:12:12 -0500

Political wrangling is holding Super Wi-Fi spectrum hostage. The House has tacked on amendments to its payroll tax bill that spell big trouble for the FCC and spectrum use. And a new bill in the Illinois legislature would allow people to record on-duty police in public without permission.

Prosecutors Demand Limitless Warrant in Vermont Computer Search

Stevie Converse — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:40:27 -0400

Full article: Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, along with the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU Vermont, urged the Vermont Supreme Court to reject prosecutors' demands to override a judge's instructions and allow a limitless warrant for a computer search.

NSA Allies with Internet Carriers to Thwart Cyber Attacks Against Defense Firms

Stevie Converse — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:44:10 -0400

Full article: Washington Post
Ellen Nakashima
The National Security Agency is working with Internet service providers to deploy a new generation of tools to scan e-mail and other digital traffic with the goal of thwarting cyberattacks against defense firms by foreign adversaries. The prospect of a role for the NSA, the nation’s largest spy agency and a part of the Defense Department, in helping Internet service providers filter domestic Web traffic already had sparked concerns among privacy activists.

Media Minutes: November 19, 2010

Candace Clement — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:46:14 -0500

The Supreme Court will hear a case that could diminish the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information Act by determining how much information a corporation is required to make public. And the NTIA's new report outlines several proposals to get the federal government to be more efficient spectrum users. Is improved competition and better wireless access on the horizon?

Obama Administration Privacy Report Card

Stevie Converse — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:40:09 -0400

Full article: Electronic Privacy Information Center
The FTC has been unable or unwilling to pursue any significant privacy investigations. The agency has become a black hole for privacy complaints that earlier Commissions routinely pursued. The White House offers little support for privacy efforts in Congress. The Obama administration has aggressively asserted the "state secrets" doctrine, expanded Fusion Centers and watch lists, and subjected all American air travelers to unconstitutional body searches in airports.

Leahy to Hold Hearings on Administration's ECPA Proposal

Stevie Converse — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:16:15 -0400

Full article: National Journal
Chris Strohm
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said he plans to hold hearings this fall before agreeing to change a law giving the government the power to obtain more information on the electronic communications of U.S. citizens. The Obama administration is seeking changes to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that would allow the FBI to obtain from Internet service providers additional information without warrants.

Copyright Laws Threaten Our Online Freedom

Stevie Converse — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:25:34 -0400

Full article: Financial Times
Christian Engstrom
Copyright was meant to encourage culture, not restrict it. This is reason enough for reform. But the current regime has even more damaging effects. In order to uphold copyright laws, governments are beginning to restrict our right to communicate with each other in private, without being monitored.

What Ever Happened to PCLOB?

Stevie Converse — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:47:58 -0400

Full article: National Journal
Andrew Noyes
A government civil liberties panel established in 2004 at the behest of the 9/11 Commission that has laid dormant since the terms of its members expired Jan. 31, 2008 could probably not be fully operational as an independent body until mid-2010.

Officials Say U.S. Wiretaps Exceeded Law

Stevie Converse — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:51:01 -0400

Full article: New York Times
Eric Lichtblau and James Risen
The National Security Agency intercepted private e-mail messages and phone calls of Americans in recent months on a scale that went beyond the broad legal limits established by Congress last year, government officials said.

Obama Administration Quietly Expands Bush's Legal Defense of Warrantless Wiretapping

Stevie Converse — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:22:55 -0400

Full article: Raw Story
John Byrne
In a legal filing that is a stunning defense of the Bush administration's warrentless wiretapping program, Obama administration lawyers claimed the government is shielded from lawsuits by a 'sovereign immunity' clause in the Patriot Act.