Category «Patriot Act»

NY Times Editorial Today on Patriot Act

“Unnecessary Powers: The Patriot Act already gives government too much power to spy on ordinary Americans, but things could get far worse. Congress is considering adding a broad new investigative power, known as the administrative subpoena, that would allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to gain access to anyone’s financial, medical, employment and even library …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Libraries, Patriot Act, Privacy

New Study Documents Law Enforcement Inquiries on Library Patron Data

From today’s New York Times, Libraries Say Yes, Officials Do Quiz Them About Users reports on a study, not yet released by the American Library Association (ALA), that documents law enforcement inquiries for information on library patrons’ reading materials. The article indicates that there have been “at least 200 formal and informal inquiries to libraries… …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Patriot Act, Privacy

New Bill to Permanently Authorize Patriot Act Provisions

S.1266, Title: An original bill to permanently authorize certain provisions of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001, to reauthorize a provision of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, to clarify certain definitions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legislation, Patriot Act

Bipartisan Compromise on Patriot Act

“Today, a bipartisan working group of former senior government officials with expertise in homeland security, intelligence, law enforcement, and civil liberties delivered a set of recommendations for reauthorization of the Patriot Act to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The bipartisan group, co-convened by John Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress, and Richard Falkenrath, former …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Patriot Act

President Promotes Renewal of Patriot Act

White House Press release: President Visits National Counterterrorism Center “I mean, not only are we sharing information here at home, we’re sharing information with our allies, with our coalition partners. See, terrorists are willing to strike at anybody who loves freedom, and our job is to protect free societies — the freest of all societies …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legislation, Libraries, Patriot Act, Privacy

Debate Continues Behind Closed Doors on PATRIOT Act Extension

The Proposal to Reauthorize and Expand Parts of the USA PATRIOT Act: Why It’s Unnecessary and, In Some Respects, Dangerous, By Anita Ramastry. Patriot Act Extension Debated at Closed Congressional Meeting American Civil Liberties Union Testimony at an Oversight Hearing on the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001: Section 505 (National Security Letters) and Section 804 …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Libraries, Patriot Act, Privacy

Draft Copy of Bill to Reauthorize Certain PATRIOT Act Provisions

“On Thursday, May 26, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will consider in closed session a draft bill that would both renew and expand various USA PATRIOT Act powers. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has obtained a copy of the draft bill, along with the committee’s summary of it..” [Link] Draft of new PATRIOT Act …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy

Suburban Chicago Public Library To Install Fingerprint Scanners on Public PCs

As reported by the Chicago Tribune on May 20, 2005 (and cited in American Libraries Online, with another article in the Washington Post), this summer, the Naperville, Illinois public library will install biometric scanners on their 130 PCs with web access. Related article from UPI today, on an analysis of biometrics published in the May …

Subjects: E-Government, Libraries, Patriot Act, Privacy