[privacy] NSA Cooperation: OK for e-Mail, IM Companies?

["Paul Ferguson" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

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Via C|Net News.

[snip]

A new Senate bill would protect not only telephone companies from lawsuits
claiming illegal cooperation with the National Security Agency. It would
retroactively immunize e-mail providers, search engines, Internet service
providers and instant-messaging services too.

The broad language appears in new legislation that a Senate committee
approved by a 13-to-2 vote on Thursday during a meeting closed to the press
and public. It enjoys the support of the panel's Democrats and Republicans.

It goes further in crafting an impenetrable legal shield than similar
proposals in the House of Representatives, such as the so-called Restore
Act, which immunizes only "communications service providers." Bowing to
pressure from President Bush, House Democrats postponed a vote on the
Restore Act last week.

The broader Senate bill would sweep in Web sites, e-mail providers and
more. "My suspicion is the scope of the immunity provision is the most
revealing way to assess the scope of the underlying authority," said Marc
Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

[snip]

More:
http://www.news.com/NSA-cooperation-OK-for-e-mail%2C-IM-companies/2100-7348
_3-6214609.html

- - ferg


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

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