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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday May 27 2020, @04:49PM   Printer-friendly
from the second-time's-a-charm? dept.

US lawmakers get a second shot at forcing FBI agents to obtain a warrant before they leaf through web histories:

US lawmakers will get another vote on whether the FBI must get a warrant before agents can search Americans' search and web-browsing histories.

House reps Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) led the effort over the Memorial Day weekend to propose tacking an amendment onto the proposed USA FREEDOM Act, which is before the House of Representatives. The USA FREEDOM Act, if renewed as it stands, reauthorizes various USA PATRIOT Act surveillance programs.

One cause for concern is the lack of requirement, in section 215 of the legislation, for the Feds to get a search warrant before requesting access to people's internet activities from their ISPs.

Lofgren et al want the House to vote on amending the USA Freedom Act to include that requirement. The act has already passed the Senate without the warrant requirement, though if the House succeeds in tacking on the caveat, the Senate will have to consider it, too.

"After extensive bicameral, bipartisan deliberations, there will be a vote to include a final significant reform to Section 215 that protects Americans' civil liberties," Lofgren said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Our internet activity opens a window into the most sensitive areas of our private life, and, this week, Representatives will be able to vote to prevent the government from using Section 215 to collect the websites we visit, the videos we watch and the searches we make."

The House vote on the amendment will follow a similar attempt to add a warrant requirement in the Senate earlier this month, which fell by a single vote, and caused uproar. One of the authors of that proposed proviso in the Senate, Ron Wyden (D-OR), praised Lofgren for getting the issue on the floor of Congress again:

"I applaud Representative Lofgren for securing a vote on my amendment to ban warrantless collection of Americans' internet activity," the senator said. "There are few things more private than where a person goes on the internet, or what they search for online, so the government must obtain a warrant to get that information. I urge the House to pass it, and the Senate to follow suit."


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  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday May 27 2020, @04:52PM (20 children)

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday May 27 2020, @04:52PM (#999763) Journal

    Don't worry, Moscow Mitch McConnell will kill it right quick.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:03PM (19 children)

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:03PM (#999768) Journal

    Even if he doesn't, will Sanders bother to show up this time?

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
    • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:10PM (18 children)

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:10PM (#999773) Journal

      Sanders definitely should have been there for the vote. (59–37, needed 60 to pass) [soylentnews.org]

      Who wants to bet it would have ended up 59 to 38 if he'd have shown, though?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:20PM (6 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:20PM (#999778)

        Uh oh. Is this preemptive anti-Sanders rage from DNCMonkey?

        • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:32PM (4 children)

          by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:32PM (#999781) Journal

          Ah yes, with the help of my DNC super SJW's we'll prevent Sanders from winning the primary yet!

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:43PM (3 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:43PM (#999786)

            Wrong. It's about finding a scapegoat when Biden loses the general election. We wouldn't want to learn the wrong lessons from 2016-2020.

            • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:56PM (2 children)

              by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:56PM (#999796) Journal

              Sander got a crap ton fewer votes in the primary this time around. But, yeah, it's totally some giant conspiracy and not people preferring the safe bet in the middle of a pandemic.

              • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:44PM

                by fustakrakich (6150) on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:44PM (#999833) Journal

                Heh, so even the DNC is convinced Trump is the *safe bet*

                --
                La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
              • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @10:23AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @10:23AM (#1000115)

                How is an authoritarian corporatists who opposes even the most sensible reforms like Medicare For All a "safe bet"? That's not a safe bet for the future of this country, unless you like dying from lack of access to healthcare, since Biden's plan would leave 10 million people uncovered and who knows how many more under-insured.

                Old people voted in overwhelming numbers, and they overwhelmingly voted for Biden. Old people are also far more likely to consume traditional corporate media, which also just happened to support Biden and other corporate democrats overwhelmingly. Maybe the fact that corporate media constantly downplayed Bernie's victories, and even went so far as to compare his win in Nevada to the Nazis invading France, had something to do with the idea that Biden was more "electable"? Endless propaganda will have an effect on the gullible, and the people willing to rely on cable TV are going to be highly gullible.

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:08PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:08PM (#999803)

          You're searching for rage that doesn't exist, as his post made pretty clear. Trump literally broke conservative brains.

      • (Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:40PM (10 children)

        by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 27 2020, @05:40PM (#999784) Journal

        No bet (regardless of issue or side).
         
        Votes are often cast based on the anticipated results. If one more person is there to vote for/against something, one of the people in a swing district/vulnerable position is allowed/required to vote the other way.
         
        This allows vulnerable politicians to both vote 'with' their constituents and still not actually affect policy in a manner leadership doesn't want.

        --
        В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
        • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:01PM

          by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:01PM (#999799) Journal

          Yep, that's what I was alleging if it wasn't clear...

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by fustakrakich on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:49PM (8 children)

          by fustakrakich (6150) on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:49PM (#999841) Journal

          It's a game called villain rotation [urbandictionary.com]. Advocate a feel good bill for the folks back home, making arrangements that it won't pass. For instance, this is how Obama gave us Romneycare instead of real healthcare

          --
          La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
          • (Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Wednesday May 27 2020, @10:07PM

            by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 27 2020, @10:07PM (#999941) Journal

            Learnt me a new term :-)

            --
            В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
          • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:19AM (6 children)

            by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:19AM (#1000040)

            That sounds like a really shitty way to run a country.

            • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:29AM (5 children)

              by fustakrakich (6150) on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:29AM (#1000046) Journal

              Yeah it is, but people feel better if they don't think about it

              --
              La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
              • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday May 28 2020, @04:36AM (4 children)

                by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday May 28 2020, @04:36AM (#1000059)

                Wow. Weird.

                • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday May 28 2020, @06:22AM (3 children)

                  by fustakrakich (6150) on Thursday May 28 2020, @06:22AM (#1000073) Journal

                  Not really. Denial is a perfectly normal and the most effective defense mechanism against the unpleasantries of their faith.

                  --
                  La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
                  • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday May 28 2020, @08:13AM (2 children)

                    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday May 28 2020, @08:13AM (#1000087)

                    No, it's pretty weird

                    • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday May 28 2020, @01:39PM (1 child)

                      by fustakrakich (6150) on Thursday May 28 2020, @01:39PM (#1000151) Journal

                      Well, yeah, it is a documented medical issue, but it's not any "weirder" than a common cold.

                      --
                      La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
                      • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday May 28 2020, @08:57PM

                        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday May 28 2020, @08:57PM (#1000281)

                        Funny how it only affects Americans though.

                        If our lot acted like that we'd vote 'em out. In fact we do, fairly regularly.