Discussion Forums > Politics
So much for privacy on the Whole Wide World (Ed on TED)
AceHigh:
Because I would bother flying all the way from Norway to Moscow just to steal his laptop which will probably self-destruct if he doesn't input a password every 12 hours? Oh wait, that was Xbox one, not his laptop.
sawakosadako:
--- Quote from: AceHigh on July 29, 2013, 09:21:30 AM ---Because I would bother flying all the way from Norway to Moscow just to steal his laptop which will probably self-destruct if he doesn't input a password every 12 hours? Oh wait, that was Xbox one, not his laptop.
--- End quote ---
Oh, I thought you're from Russia. I misunderstood you then. It's still worth a try though. Anybody?
AceHigh:
Been here for many years, but can't remember any member who was living in Russia. I guess they have their own anime sub groups and trackers.
Xycolian2332:
--- Quote from: AceHigh on July 29, 2013, 09:30:44 AM ---Been here for many years, but can't remember any member who was living in Russia. I guess they have their own anime sub groups and trackers.
--- End quote ---
Pretty sure Al_sleeper is from Russia
jaybug:
A message I received in my email from my congressman, that I thought you may wish to read.
--- Quote ---Dear Mr. VanOrman jaybug:
Thanks for your message expressing alarm about the disclosure that the National Security Agency (NSA) is actively collecting data on U.S. citizens. I too am outraged by this highly questionable data collection and I voted for the Amash/Conyers amendment to strip this power away from the federal government.
As you know, the NSA has been collecting millions of phone records from Americans, including the time and duration of phone calls and the phone numbers involved. The NSA has claimed they do not collect the content of calls. I do not believe that the phone records of millions upon millions of innocent Americans cannot all be relevant to a terrorism investigation.
According to the Director of National Intelligence, the government may not sift through this data indiscriminately, but may query the data when "there is a reasonable suspicion, based on specific facts, that the particular basis for the query is associated with a foreign terrorist organization." While I appreciate that the government has a standard to meet before sifting though the data, it's up to the secret FISA court to determine if the government met the standard and those decisions are also secret. In other words, we have no way of knowing what the government is doing with the data or even what legal limits - if any - the FISA court has placed on the government.
I'm very concerned that this is basically a continuation of the policies of the Bush administration and the abuses of the Patriot Act. I'd like to see better out of this administration. The bottom line is that it is possible to fully and quickly spy on terrorists while still protecting the privacy and freedom of American citizens, complying with the Constitution, and preserving adequate congressional and judicial oversight.
I am pleased that the Amash/Conyers amendment to curtail Section 215 of the Patriot Act received 207 votes. While it did not pass, the amendment only failed by seven votes, suggesting Congress is taking civil liberty issues much more seriously than it did when the original "PATRIOT Act" was approved in 2001. Of the 535 members of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, I was one of 67 to vote against the Patriot Act.
I voted against the Patriot Act and its extension in 2008 and 2011 because I feared it gave the federal government too much unchecked power over the rights of law abiding citizens and lacked effective oversight tools for Congress. The revelations of NSA spying on Americans further confirmed my fear.
I am also a cosponsor of the Limiting Internet and Blanket Electronic Review of Telecommunications and Email "LIBERT-E" Act. This bill would require the government to provide "specific and articulable facts" to connect the records with illicit activities and to show they pertain only to individuals under investigation. The bill would also make declassified summaries of "significant" opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court available to the public.
As I have said before, we must ensure that law enforcement officials have the tools they need to assess, detect, and prevent future terrorist attacks. However, I don't believe we have to shred the Constitution and Bill of Rights in order to fight terrorism. You can count on my continued support for Patriot Act reform and the defense of our constitutional rights.
Again, thanks for your message. Please continue to keep in touch.
Sincerely,
U.S. Representative PETER DEFAZIO
Fourth Congressional District, Oregon
--- End quote ---
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