CDT is on the right track, but I'd be hesitant to call my senators and endorse Feingold's amendments until I knew what they said. The CDT alert is silent on details. That's a shame, since they could have easily included a summary of the amendments (which I really will put online soon, along with their text). -Declan On Wed, Oct 10, 2001 at 11:14:37PM -0700, citizenQ wrote:
Dear Activist:
Things are moving very fast on Capitol Hill. Legislation to expand government surveillance will be considered by the Senate (and maybe the House) on Thursday, October 11.
In the Senate, Sen. Russ Feingold is planning to offer amendments Thursday morning that will address some of the privacy concerns raised by the pending bills, by requiring government surveillance to be more focused and subject to meaningful judicial controls. CDT supports the Feingold amendments.
You can make a difference. Call your Senators in Washington right away and let them know that you think civil liberties should be part of the balance as we move forward to protect our country from terrorism. Urge them to support the Feingold privacy amendments
BACKGROUND
Following the horrendous attacks of September 11, it is clear that US anti-terrorism efforts need to be improved. Unfortunately, there has been little time to develop a response that is effective and does not unnecessarily infringe civil liberties. Legislation moving quickly through Congress involves some fundamental changes in the surveillance laws. Most of the changes are not limited to terrorism cases, but concern all crimes and all intelligence investigations.
Among other things, the bills would:
* Allow FBI to seize any and all stored records (medical records, educational records, stored e-mail) in intelligence cases without a search warrant.
* Allow computer system operators to authorize government surveillance without a court order (the computer trespasser provision).
* Authorize roving taps in intelligence cases without clear guidelines, allowing government to monitor pay phones, library computers, cell phones without first determining who is using the device.
* Allow secret searches (searches without notice at the time of the search) in all criminal cases.
* Extend government surveillance under minimal standards to broad categories of Internet data - all "routing, addressing and signaling information" (the "pen register" provision).
For full background the current civil liberties issues with the bill, please see CDT's latest policy post -- http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_7.10.shtml
Also, the New York Times on October 10 explained the current situation in the Senate and Sen Feingold's concerns-- http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/10/national/10RIGH.html
WHAT YOU CAN DO--MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
1. Call your your Senators
[www.vote-smart.org can tell you who your sens are (duh)]
Tell the person who answers the phone that you hope your Senator will support the Feingold privacy amendment to the terrorism bill, so that it adequately protects civil liberties when giving the government new surveillance powers.
Use these words if you feel tongue-tied:
Staffer: Hello, Sen. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX office.
You: Hello. I'm a constituent calling to urge the Senator to support the Feingold privacy amendments to the anti-terrorism bill. Government needs to fight terrorism, but the bill fails to protect privacy. I'm concerned about the provisions on Internet surveillance and roving wiretaps. I support the Feingold amendments setting clear limits on government surveillance.
Staffer: I'll tell the Senator. Thanks, bye!
2. Let CDT know how it went! Go to http://www.cdt.org/action/feedback.cgi?membid=casr and use the feedback form to tell us what happened. Or you can send an email back to me at mclark@cdt.org.
3. Lastly, please forward this message to other individuals interested in protecting privacy and free expression on the Internet. They can find information about their Senators at http://www.cdt.org/action/. But they need to act right away. Forward this message until Friday morning, October 12, 2001.
PLEASE NOTE: We are asking you to call your Senators in Washington because studies have shown that this is the most effective way to make a difference over a short period of time. By the time the office reads your email or letter it will probably be too late and a call into the district office does not have the same impact when the Senator is in Washington.
-- To subscribe to CDT's Activist Network, sign up at: http://www.cdt.org/join/
If you ever wish to remove yourself from the list, unsubscribe at: http://www.cdt.org/action/unsubscribe.shtml
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