Once again, the country is learning about how the federal government has been exceeding its legal authority and violating Americans’ most basic rights in the name of fighting terrorism. In a disturbing article in The Times on Wednesday, James Risen and Eric Lichtblau said that Congressional investigations suggest that the National Security Agency continues to…
Category: Govt
UK: Ministers ‘do not value privacy’
The government does not appreciate the threat posed to privacy by surveillance, peers have warned. In a report, the Lords Constitution Committee says the Information Commissioner does not have enough power to prevent abuse by the private sector. Its chairman Lord Goodlad said ministers did not recognise the “fundamental importance of privacy”. In response, the…
Congress looks into behavioral advertising
Congress today summoned executives from Facebook, Google, and Yahoo to inquire about how they are tracking consumers for advertising purposes. The hearing signals an increasing interest on Washington’s part into what online companies are doing with all the data they have on their customers. It’s a joint hearing between two House subcommittees, one on Commerce,…
AG Holder questioned on warrantless wiretapping
Senator Russ Feingold questioned Attorney General Eric Holder about NSA and warrantless domestic surveillance earlier this week. Holder didn’t exactly give a straight answer: FEINGOLD: In a speech to the American Constitutional Society in June 2008, you, sir, set the following. “I never thought that I would see the day when a president would act…