From the CPSR newsletter v.6 #6 Aug 12, 93
===cut=here=== [a 2] FBI Seeks Power for Credit Search Without Warrant In early July, the Senate Intelligence Committee approved a provision that allows for FBI access to credit reports using only a letter instead of a judicial warrant in cases that they say involved national security. There is concern that this will be subject to abuse and that the necessity has not been proven. A national security letter gives the FBI the authority to obtain records without judicial approval and without providing notice to the individual that his or her records have been obtained by the Bureau. Similar FBI proposals were rejected in previous years after Congressional leaders expressed concern over the civil liberties issues raised. Although the current draft proposal is more comprehensive than those circulated in previous years, the changes and additions do not alter significantly the central character of the proposal. The Administration's 1993 proposal includes explicit limits to dissemination of obtained information within the government, penalties for violations including punitive damages, and reporting requirements. These provisions are positive changes from the legislation put forward in previous years, but they do not save the proposal from its intrinsic flaws.