FISA Court Will Release More Opinions Because of Snowden 179
cold fjord sends this news from the Washington Post:
"Call it the Edward Snowden effect: Citing the former NSA contractor, a federal judge has ordered the government to declassify more reports from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. In an opinion from the FISC itself, Judge F. Dennis Saylor on Friday told the White House to declassify all the legal opinions relating to Section 215 of the Patriot Act written after May 2011 that aren't already the subject of FOIA litigation. The court ruled (PDF) that the White House must identify the opinions in question by Oct. 4. 'The unauthorized disclosure of in June 2013 of a Section 215 order, and government statements in response to that disclosure, have engendered considerable public interest and debate about Section 215,' wrote Saylor. 'Publication of FISC opinions relating to this opinion would contribute to an informed debate.' The ruling comes in response to a petition by the American Civil Liberties Union seeking greater government transparency. But because the ACLU already has a similar FOIA case pending in another court, Saylor wrote that the new FISC order can only cover documents that don't relate to that case."
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that Snowden's information leaks started conversations that should have happened a long time ago. Also, the privacy reform panel created by President Obama met for the first time earlier this week. It did not discuss the NSA's surveillance activities. [Two attendees of the Monday meeting said the discussion was dominated by the interests of major technology firms, and the session did not address making any substantive changes to the controversial mass collection of Americans' phone data and foreigners' internet communications, which can include conversations with Americans."
Re:Obama needs to pardon Snowden (Score:5, Informative)
Congress needs to impeach Obama.
Who do you think gave the Executive branch (NSA is part of that) the power via the Patriot Act to do this horseshit?
And you do honestly think it was the Obama Administration who got this shit going?
And don't get me started on why Obama kept it going, though, because I'll be vomiting "Hope And Change".
Re:Public interest (Score:4, Informative)
>"Congress, all of it, and the Senate, too, should be informed of what the executive branch does. Withholding information about the government itself from legislators is irrational."
Although I totally agree with you, the Senate and the House of Representatives are both parts of Congress. :)
Re:Obama needs to pardon Snowden (Score:5, Informative)
why the fump, does every american citizen say, that surveilance is okay when no american citizens are targeted? Are you really that hostile to foreigners? Here in germany, everyone against surveilance, is against surveilance everywhere. We hate your oppressive laws as much as ours.
Most of us americans who are against surveillance are against it everywhere. However, fighting against surveillance locally is currently the "low hanging fruit," especially since doing so was specifically prohibited by the law that all the agencies cite.
Also, as cynical as it sounds, spying on citizens violates our constitutional rights, while non-citizens don't have constitutional rights. So it's just an easier point to make.
Re:Save the immunity for anti-Snowden citizens. (Score:4, Informative)
Exactly. The 4th amendment was put into the constitution specifically to outlaw what was called a general warrant. This happened when someone connected to any authority had it in for you. They would get a general warrant, it allowed them to search you, your house, place of employment, or anything any time they wanted in hopes of catching you doing something wrong so that charges could be brought against you.
This kind of data collection and retention is specifically the kind of actions the amendment was designed to make impossible.