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On October 15, Idaho Senator Larry Craig was joined by colleagues from both sides of the aisle as co-sponsors to S.1709, the Security and Freedom Ensured Act of 2003 (SAFE Act), to amend the USA PATRIOT ACT to place reasonable limitations on the use of surveillance and the issuance of search warrants, and for other …
As a follow-up to my September 18 posting, Ashcroft Relents on Releasing Info On Library Records, the CDT has published a copy of the Memorandum for Director Robert S. Mueller from AG Ashcroft, Patriot Act Section 215.
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) issued a press release on his introduction of a bill (H.R. 3171) to repeal sections of the Patriot Act that authorize violations of civil liberties. “The Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act repeals sections of the USA PATRIOT Act that authorize sneak and peak searches, warrentless library, medical, and financial record …
From the Lawyer’s Committee on Human Rights, a new report: Assessing the New Normal: Liberty and Security for the Post-September 11 United States, September 2003: Link to the full report, 144 pages, pdf Link to Introduction and Executive Summary Link to report by chapter (there are 5 chapters): Chapter One, Open Government; Chapter Two, Personal …
Additional links related to yesterday’s New York Times article: The text of the Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft, “The Proven Tactics in the Fight against Crime” Washington, D.C., September 15, 2003. He uses the word hysteria six times. Letter to the Editor, New York Times, September 17, from Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT): Ashcroft …
“The marble rotunda at the National Archives will reopen tomorrow after two years of renovations designed to make the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence more accessible to visitors and less obscured by distance, awkward angles and green-tinted glass.” [Link]
The Washington Post published an edited version of the transcript from an online forum on CAPPS II and civil liberties, held today with Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU’s Technology and Liberty Program.
Continuity and Change in Support for Civil Liberties after the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, (47 pages, pdf) is the second part of a national survey (by Michigan State University), conducted between January and May 2003, which queried the same group of 679 individuals as the first survey undertaken in the months immediately after the 9/11 attacks. …
Designing a protocol to circumvent Internet censorship: “Peacefire has released a new set of instructions for circumventing Internet censorship. These instructions can be used to get around Internet blocking in China, for example, by having a friend outside China follow the instructions to set up a mini-Web-site that users in China can then connect to, …
China blocks foreign software use in gov’t: “A new policy by China’s governing body the State Council will rule that all ministries have to buy only locally-produced software at the next upgrade cycle. The move, aimed at breaking the dominance of U.S.-based Microsoft on desktop computers, will eliminate Microsoft’s Windows operating system and Office productivity …
Mother Jones: From FBI and CIA headquarters to small-town police departments, the government is building a massive intelligence network designed to spy on terrorists — and on everyday Americans. Washington Post: U.S. Backs Florida’s New Counterterrorism Database – ‘Matrix’ Offers Law Agencies Faster Access to Americans’ Personal Records. Washington Post: Crossing Lines to Fight Terrorism …
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) maintains a no-fly blacklist that may include thousands of names, to which the CIA, FBI, Immigration and Dept. of State contribute information. See also Airline passenger screening tested: “The Homeland Security Department will begin testing a program to classify all airline passengers according to their security risk.” CAPPS II Privacy …
