[Also Rep. Bill McCollum, hardly a friend of privacy, has been defending it in the House. --Declan] http://www.cluebot.com/article.pl?sid=00/10/20/2341243&mode=nested Congressmen Duel Over Police Snooping Bill posted by cicero on Friday October 20, @11:31PM from the with-friends-like-these dept. Privacy defenders and privacy invaders spent this week sparring over a bill called the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. Already approved by the Senate, it's set to be voted on by the House shortly. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the wiretap-happy senator who likes to pose as an occasional friend of civil liberties, is a sponsor, as is Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican who's been trying to buff his image among geeks. Rep. Bob Barr (R-Georgia) may be on a campaign to ban abortion and indict Democrats, but at least he's usually a reliable ally when limiting government surveillance; he opposes the measure. The bill would allow police to obtain records on you from third parties (think ISP, telephone company) without a search warrant. It's designed to be used against violent criminals, but it sets a dangerous precedent. See letters below. Letters from Barr opposing and McCollum supporting: http://www.cluebot.com/article.pl?sid=00/10/20/2341243&mode=nested