US Senate To Vote on a Wiretap Bill That Critics Call 'Stasi-Like'

[desecration]

Some of the nation's top legal experts on a controversial US spy program argue that the legislation, known as the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), would enhance the US government's spy powers, forcing a variety of new businesses to secretly eavesdrop on Americans' overseas calls, texts, and email messages. Those experts include a handful of attorneys who've had the rare opportunity to appear before the US government's secret surveillance court.

From an in-depth discussion on the impact of these new spy powers. The Patriot Act was bad and this is worse.

 

[RobDownSouth]

From an in-depth discussion on the impact of these new spy powers. The Patriot Act was bad and this is worse.

You have to go three layers down teh internets....Slashdot --> Wired ---> some guy's blog to figure out what the underlying issue is. There are two components here: voIP calls and colocation. Lots of businesses use "Voice over IP" aka internet phones today. Most voIP companies keep persistent backups of ALL calls for 90 days. This legislation allows FISA warrants to snoop in these persistent backups.

Colocation. Phone messages and calls used to be stored on premise at a business, so FISA would need to get a warrant for that address. Times change. Most if not all phone service for medium to large businesses are "colocated" to a "secure location" (lots of obsolete bank vaults in decaying downtown areas are used as server farms nowadays. This bill allows FISA to obtain calls for example, a company in Austin Texas colocates its phone service to Waco, Texas. A warrant for the Austin location applies to the Waco location as well.

This is a lot less than it seems. The government is merely playing catch-up with technological changes.

 

[desecration]

The 702 program works by compelling the cooperation of US businesses defined by the government as “electronic communications service providers”—traditionally phone and email providers such as AT&T and Google.

And:

An amendment aimed at requiring the Federal Bureau of Investigation to obtain search warrants before accessing wiretaps on US citizens was rejected after a vote on the amendment ended in a tie.

No, this bill means automatic DOJ access to any electronic communications whenever they want it.

 

[RobDownSouth]

And:

No, this bill means automatic DOJ access to any electronic communications whenever they want it.

You seem frightened and confused. The big bad DOJ doesn't get involved until much much later, if at all. Remember, the "F" in FISA stands for "foreign". The DOJ does not randomly snoop on people using the FISA act. I'm posting a schematic below. Pay attention in particular to Steps 3 and 7b. Hopefully this will put your wearied mind at ease.

 

[desecration]

Do me a favor and look at this:

 

[desecration]

Seems like there's a lot of government spying going on.

SEC illegally tracking Americans who invest in the stock market, lawsuit claims

 

[RobDownSouth]

Do me a favor and look at this:
View attachment 2340664

It does that for domestic targets with relationships to foreign persons of interest.
I see no nefarious plots here.

 

[desecration]

The guardian weighs in:

Why Is America Vastly Expanding Its Surveillance Complex?

 

[butters]

https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ding-federal-warrantless-surveillance-powers/

The Senate passed the reauthorization bill early Saturday, after hours of intense debate, narrowly avoiding a key national intelligence gathering capability going dark.

Senators voted 60-34 to send the bill to Biden’s desk shortly after the midnight deadline. The program looked as if it was headed for a lapse until Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced a breakthrough on the Senate floor.

The legislation extends the government’s ability to spy on foreigners located abroad, a process that also sweeps up communications of Americans they are in contact with.

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/pr...mber-graham-statement-on-fisa-reauthorization

when presented with the facts of the matter, even senator graham saw the vital importance of the security this provides for America.

“I just received a briefing about the importance of reauthorizing FISA. I have never seen so many circumstances in real life that mimic the TV show ‘24.’

“In December 2023, FBI Director Wray testified that he sees ‘blinking lights’ everywhere he turns, and the threat to the homeland is increasingly elevated. This is not a good time to turn off our ability to see those lights.

“In this dangerous climate, it is clear that shutting down FISA would be the biggest national security mistake in the history of America. It is a tool that allows us to follow foreigners, who are on foreign soil, if they are suspected of being a threat to the United States.

 

[desecration]

when presented with the facts of the matter, even senator graham saw the vital importance of the security this provides for America.

Warrantless surveillance? This is not the America that was great long ago.

 

[Rightguide]

From an in-depth discussion on the impact of these new spy powers. The Patriot Act was bad and this is worse.

The FISA bill is bad because the real evolving point of the bill is to spy on Americans. The FISA has been misused by the government almost 300,000 times to illegally spy in American citizens.

Here are some examples of the FBI’s misuse of the FISA Act to spy on Americans:

• The FBI used its Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702 powers to conduct warrantless searches on US persons more than 280,000 times in 2020 and 20211.
• Among the most concerning so-called backdoor searches on Americans were disclosures that the FBI ran more than 23,000 queries on people involved in storming the US Capitol, 19,000 on political campaign donors, and 133 on protesters after the police killing of George Floyd1.
• The FBI also used information collected under this program to vet Americans who wanted to become police officers, to vet American college students participating in a “Collegiate Academy,” and to check out Americans who had visited an FBI office2.

These instances highlight the concerns over the misuse of surveillance powers and the need for oversight and reform. If you’re looking for more detailed information or have other questions, feel free to ask!

Learn more​

1arstechnica.com2cdt.org3deseret.com4theregister.com5foxnews.com+4 more

I've read as well of cases of FBI agents spying to see if their spouses are having affairs.

 

[desecration]

The FISA bill is bad because the real evolving point of the bill is to spy on Americans.

I agree. Our founding fathers designed a system to limit government abuses. FISA goes the opposite way.

 

[Bray123]

It's almost as if the 'if you've done nothing wrong you've nothing to hide' crowd have something to hide.

Illicit conversations with Russia by any chance?

 

[desecration]

Obamagate?

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/a...agate_scandals_mean_and_why_they_matter.html#!

 

[Rightguide]

Obamagate?

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/a...agate_scandals_mean_and_why_they_matter.html#!

He was the one who weaponized the bureaucracy to the fine point that now threatens the back of every American.

 

[desecration]

Seems that we developed our system of warrants for a reason back in the day. It prevents abuses. Warrantless surveillance is not a step toward anything good.