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from the pay-no-attention-to-the-TLA-behind-the-curtain dept.
The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that would extend a controversial government spying power known as "Section 702" for another six years—without new privacy safeguards that had been sought by civil liberties groups.
Debate over the legislation now shifts over to the Senate, where it faces a filibuster threat from both Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
"If this Section 702 bill comes to the Senate, I will filibuster it," Wyden wrote in a tweet shortly after the House bill passed.
Wyden opposes the legislation because he believes that it offers too few protections for Americans' privacy rights. The powers granted by Section 702 are only supposed to be used against foreigners on foreign soil. But an American's communications can get swept up in the NSA's surveillance dragnet if they communicate with people overseas. Privacy advocates have championed an amendment to impose new privacy safeguards on the use of Section 702. But it was voted down by the House on Thursday.
[...] There isn't much time for the Senate to act. Section 702 expires on January 19, a little more than a week away.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 12 2018, @05:44PM (9 children)
The biggest scandal in modern American political history, going back at least 70 years, involves this law. The original warrant was denied, which only happens about 1 out of 10,000 times for this kind of warrant. Then a crazy fictional story was illegally paid for (off the books via a lawyer) out of campaign funds, written, passed to foreigners, and then back to the FBI, to be used as evidence for a warrant.
If the democrats support this, then that tells us something about how they really feel about Trump and evil mischief. They trust Trump to be less evil than Obama/Hillary about spying on opponents, and/or they find it more important to have the law available for their own misuse once they regain power.
(Score: 2, Troll) by realDonaldTrump on Friday January 12 2018, @07:11PM (6 children)
This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others? With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office. Section 702 is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. I am sitting in my office with pen in hand. We need it! Get smart!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 12 2018, @08:30PM (1 child)
It is amusing that people are more outraged about spying on Trump's campaign than on their own personal lives. #WTF
(Score: 2, Troll) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday January 14 2018, @01:57AM
They spied on my son! And they set him up. Let me tell you, I have a son, Don Jr. My son is a wonderful young man (age 39). He's a good boy. He's a good kid. But the Dems set him up. Don Jr., as you know, took a meeting with a Russian lawyer -- not a government lawyer but a Russian lawyer. With Natalia V. from Russia, the one with the long name. Now the lawyer that went to the meeting, I see that she was in the halls of Congress also. Somebody said that her visa or her passport to come into the country was approved by Attorney General Lynch. Now, maybe that's wrong, but I was a little surprised to hear that she was here because of Lynch.
(Score: 3, Funny) by turgid on Friday January 12 2018, @10:42PM (3 children)
Since you're a great and valuable personal friend, I just want to thank you for your latest contribution to the advancement of the great shared culture that our two great nations nurture. You have single-handedly created a revolution in the use of colourful language in a formal context on the BBC. Both Emily Maitliss and Kirsty Wark on my favourite news programme, BBC Newsnight, have not only got away with swearing, but have courageously, earnestly and patriotically relished opportunity.
God bless you, and God bless America!
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 12 2018, @10:57PM (2 children)
link?
(Score: 2) by turgid on Friday January 12 2018, @11:00PM (1 child)
To the TV? You can probably get it on BBC iPlayer.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 3, Insightful) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday January 14 2018, @01:21AM
They tweet under @BBCNewsnight [twitter.com]. They should be tweeting under @BBCFAKENewsnight [twitter.com]!!!! Because they tweeted out an interview of .@MichaelWolffNYC [twitter.com] telling LIE AFTER LIE to sell his discredited Fake Book. DISGUSTING!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 12 2018, @10:53PM
> This is the law abused to wiretap Trump tower.
You should quote your sources correctly. It's not "wiretap", it's "tapp".
(Score: 3, Informative) by crafoo on Saturday January 13 2018, @05:56AM
It's not about republicans or democrats "waiting to regain power". It's the same people. They have power right now. You just didn't elect them. They aren't elected. They buy influence. They control the monetary system.