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United States Privacy

US Privacy Groups Urge Senate Not To Ram Through NSA Spying Powers (wired.com) 35

Posted by msmash from the tussle-continues dept.
Some of the United States' largest civil liberties groups are urging Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer not to pursue a short-term extension of the Section 702 surveillance program slated to sunset on December 31. From a report: The more than 20 groups -- Demand Progress, the Brennan Center for Justice, American Civil Liberties Union, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice among them -- oppose plans that would allow the program to continue temporarily by amending "must-pass" legislation, such as the bill needed now to avert a government shutdown by Friday, or the National Defense Authorization Act, annual legislation set to dictate $886 billion in national security spending across the Pentagon and US Department of Energy in 2024.

"In its current form, [Section 702] is dangerous to our liberties and our democracy, and it should not be renewed for any length of time without robust debate, an opportunity for amendment, and -- ultimately -- far-reaching reforms," a letter from the groups to Schumer says. It adds that any attempt to prolong the program by rushed amendment "would demonstrate blatant disregard for the civil liberties and civil rights of the American people."
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US Privacy Groups Urge Senate Not To Ram Through NSA Spying Powers More

US Privacy Groups Urge Senate Not To Ram Through NSA Spying Powers

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  • NSA Spying Powers: Now with Added Stealth Mode (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Press2ToContinue ( 2424598 ) on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @03:51PM (#64005705)
    Ah, the classic move: sneaking in NSA spying powers like a rogue sysadmin inserting a backdoor into legacy code. Let's just patch our privacy away, shall we? Maybe we can refactor the Constitution while we're at it. It's not like we're using it much these days. And hey, as long as they're updating things, why not throw in a clause that all senators must use Comic Sans in all official documents? It's about as subtle as this move.

    • And hey, as long as they're updating things, why not throw in a clause that all senators must use Comic Sans in all official documents? It's about as subtle as this move.

      Uh, that would be quite a subtle move actually, given the fact that hardly anyone actually reads that shit. Not really necessary in order to vote the party line. Reading is optional now. Like too many 3rd and 4th graders can confirm.

      • Why do Senators and Congressman need to read a bill? They can just MMA the opposition into submission to get a bill passed now.

    • Dingbats would be more appropriate.

  • US politicians excel (Score:4, Insightful)

    by NotEmmanuelGoldstein ( 6423622 ) on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @04:27PM (#64005799)

    ... to continue temporarily by ...

    The US government has been giving war-time powers to their servants for over 20 years. Now, the war is officially ended, it would be nice if the current crop of US politicians acted like it. Alas, they've been doing the opposite for 20 years, and US politicians love to shout, "you're a victim, I'll save you".

    ... amending "must-pass" legislation ...

    The other thing US politicians excel at: Enshitification of democracy, AKA "Democracy does not work".

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by cusco ( 717999 )

      In the '90s neo-con 'thought leader' Grover Norquist told a group of Republican politicians, "The only way you will be able to convince voters that government is broken is if you break it first." Later he described their plan to run the debt up so high that there would be no room for anything but interest payment and the military, they intended to shrink the Federal government to the size where "I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the tub." For the last quarter century the neo-cons in charge o

  • Think about the children (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    "If we do not pass this, who is going to protect the children?!" /s

  • "In its current form, [Section 702] is dangerous to our liberties and our democracy, and it should not be renewed for any length of time without robust debate, an opportunity for amendment, and -- ultimately -- far-reaching reforms," a letter from the groups to Schumer says. It adds that any attempt to prolong the program by rushed amendment "would demonstrate blatant disregard for the civil liberties and civil rights of the American people."

    So, par for the course then? If they didn't come across as such an unfettered disaster, barely able to function as humans, you'd almost think congress creates these shut-down scares to specifically foist unpopular legislation through with the "emergency" funding bills.

    • ... creates these shut-down scares ...

      The USA is changing: In a few decades, the majority of voters will be not senior citizens, not white, not fundamental Christians, not owning homes or retirement funds, not remembering the 1950s post-war economy, and definitely not believing that corporate prosperity makes it the greatest country ever.

      The values driving the 21st Century Republican Party will soon be gone. It will be interesting times for US politics as young adults deal with the detritus created by the fanaticism, greed/consumerism and p

      • The GOP has a plan for that. Voter suppression and gerrymandering will be used to ensure that only their chosen voters get a meaningful vote.

        Expect to see this ramped up, especially if Trump gets another term.

        • The GOP has a plan for that. Voter suppression and gerrymandering will be used to ensure that only their chosen voters get a meaningful vote.

          Expect to see this ramped up, especially if Trump gets another term.

          If Trump gets another term I see some VERY drastic changes in our future. With the fanaticism extending to everywhere but the courts, save maybe the Supreme so far, there will be no more checks and balances. It'll be really ugly. We thought the last go was fun? Yikes.

      • Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday November 14, 2023 @06:21PM (#64006063)
        Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • 350 billion to repair infrastructure, but this should get us a couple dozen AI data centers that can automatically flag anyone questioning elections or voluntary drug beta testing

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • "This interception takes place with the compelled cooperation of US telecommunications companies that handle internet traffic at stages along global networks."

    The NSA has mandatory taps at all the phone and internet carriers, this has been reported for years, and they just ingest whatever they want. Probably there are some loose filters on what they actually bother to keep. Clearly it is massively invasive and should not be allowed to continue in it's present form.

    The letter was written to Schumer, who may

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cusco ( 717999 )

      Looking at the history of the uni-party for the last two decades I think it likely that Schumer will listen and then say, "So what's in it for me?"

      • Dems are no saints, but there is no "uni-party" now. There is the fascist Trump party, and then everyone else.

        • No, the D and R are two wings of the same bird. Which President went on television with marines in the background talking about the evil of the other party? It wasn't trump, it was Joe. Personally I'm really hoping for all of them to be in Washington, and a giant Tsunami take out the east coast.

          • But trump definitely is evil, Biden did not lie. And the GOP is profoundly anti-democratic, the Speaker of the House is a white Christian nationalist who worked hard to overturn the 2020 election.

            Trump has been declaring in his speeches that he will convert the federal workforce such that anyone can be fired by the president at will and must follow his personal whims. He claims that a presidential candidate should be immune from prosecution. He has been indicted for dozens of federal crimes and spends his d

            • You mean other than your livelyhood will be destroyed if you don't take an emergency use shot? Or all the stuff here : https://www.heritage.org/progr... [heritage.org] No, I haven't seen anything like that at all. Do I like Trump? No. I can't stand any politicians. I'd be thrilled if a giant tsunami wiped out the east coast when all of them were there. Do I think the Democrats want an orwellian surveillance state even more than the Republicans (NOT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, they are the same as the Democratic party)? Yes.

              • Lol, you cited a 2021 opinion piece from the Heritage Foundation. Who cares what "a contributor to The Daily Signal" thinks?

                • So? Simply because an analysis differers from what would like to see, does not mean it is wrong.

                  • It wasn't an 'analysis'. It was just some joker's uninteresting personal opinions. Nothing in it supported your "D and R are two wings of the same bird" nonsense.

                    • Actually I don't think D and R are two wings of the same bird, but obviously you're the one source of truth, just like every left winger I've ever met.

                    • Well its good to see that you've backtracked on your claim, seeing as how you have no evidence.

                    • I haven't backtracked on my claim at all. Are you having trouble today?

                    • "D and R are two wings of the same bird" was obviously your claim, and now "Actually I don't think D and R are two wings of the same bird".

                      Clearly you did backtrack, and now you've lied about it.

                    • Actually you know it was my retraction that was wrong. The party bosses are two wings of the same bird. There are individuals inj the parties who are different. The Democrats want national socialism and the republicans want communism.
  • People have a problem because there's no oversight. Reading the whistleblowers and leaks, it sounds like it has become what Enemy Of The State (1998) warned us about. Why did Mike Rogers go to Trump in 2016? Was it because his political enemies were using the military spy apparatus to spy and harass their opponent? I don't think anyone would have a problem with the system if it was truely used for good and people didn't abuse it. But is that even possible? We've seen from the Jose Guerena shooting in 2011 t

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