[privacy] New Law Will Exempt Spies From Privacy Act

["Fergie" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

Via UPI (registration required).

[snip]

A little-noticed proposal from the Senate Intelligence Committee would exempt federal agencies from important 
provisions of the Privacy Act in the name of the war against terrorism.

The committee's annual authorization bill, unanimously reported to the full Senate last month, would initiate a 
three-year "pilot program" during which U.S. intelligence agencies would be able to access personal information about 
Americans held by other federal departments or agencies if it is believed relevant to counter-terrorism or 
counter-proliferation.

In the wake of recent revelations about the administration's use of data-mining and warrantless surveillance of 
telephone and internet communications in pursuit of the nation's terrorist enemies, the provision seems certain to be 
controversial.

"If this is enacted, the Privacy Act will look like Swiss cheese," ACLU legislative counsel Tim Sparapani told United 
Press International.

[snip]

More here:
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060605-073346-4655r

- ferg


--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg () netzero net or fergdawg () sbcglobal net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/

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