FBI director Robert Mueller wants ISPs to log visited web sites, Patriot Act extended

no caste · 02-26-2010, 03:20 AM

I'm posting this whole article, as it's already been identified as an "attack site" by Google.

FBI director is taking an interest in e-book reading habits, like Kindle. Patriot Act extended to Feb. 28, 2011.
_____________________________________

FBI director Robert Mueller wants ISPs to log visited web sites
By Chris Meadows - February 5th, 2010

Especially since 9/11, the FBI has long been interested in being able to check up on the reading habits of ordinary people. In 2002, we covered a librarian’s concern about a provision of the Patriot Act that would allow the FBI to request information from libraries. In 2005, we covered an actual use of that provision.

In 2008, David Rothman discussed FBI director Robert Mueller suggesting “that the bureau should have a broad ‘omnibus’ authority to conduct monitoring and surveillance of private-sector networks.” Since the Kindle uses wireless networks, David was concerned that it meant the FBI might take an interest in e-book reading habits as well as paper ones.

Now Mueller is at it again. At a federal task force meeting today, an attorney for the FBI said that Mueller would like ISPs to keep records of web users’ “origin and destination information.” In other words, the FBI wants to be able to find out what web sites users visit, just as it can get call information from phone companies.

A number of ISP representatives are cited in the story saying that it would currently be very difficult, and perhaps a violation of wiretapping law, to keep track of that information. Whether possible or not, it could certainly have the potential to be a major violation of privacy.

Almost everybody visits web sites that might be viewed as subversive or undesirable by authorities, or that they otherwise do not want other people to know about. (Some are unfortunate enough to do so while on national television.) On the e-book side, this might include politically-sensitive reading matter, or even sexual fetish art and fiction sites.

It is understandable that the government wants power to track down terrorists. We would like for the government to be able to track down terrorists. The idea is good in theory. In practice, it leads to things like full-body scanners at airports and Canadian author Dr. Peter Watts getting beaten up by the border patrol.

All sorts of people have been subject to government abuse on grounds of terror prevention, including Watts, singer Cat Stevens (who was denied entry into the US in 2004 on suspicion of supporting terrorists), and the thousands of people who are on no-fly lists because they’re unfortunate enough to have names similar to terrorists (including the late Senator Ted Kennedy).

For that matter, J. Edgar Hoover maintained files on a list of 12,000 “subversives” who he planned to arrest without habeas corpus. If another Hoover comes along, some government official with an axe to grind, why should we give him extra ammunition?

Because the access the FBI wants would require them to have a suspect already, they should be able to get much of the same information by examining the hard drives on the suspect’s computer, or subpoenaing access logs from the actual web sites in question. Making people’s entire browsing habits available would support “fishing expeditions,” where the suspect comes before the crime.

Even leaving aside possible governmental wrongdoing, there have been stories about abuses of government databases by employees—for example, in 2008 an investigation revealed the passport files of “at least 127 famous persons had been accessed repeatedly.” I do not want my surfing habits visible to anyone else, even just someone in my ISP. It is simply too big a risk.
http://www.teleread.org/2010/02/05/f...ted-web-sites/

no caste · 02-26-2010, 03:27 AM

House sends extension of Patriot Act to Obama
updated 2 hours, 44 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Key provisions of the nation's primary counterterrorism law would be extended for a year under a bill passed by the House Thursday evening after Democrats retreated from adding new privacy protections... The House voted 315 to 97 to extend the USA Patriot Act, sending the bill to President Barack Obama. Without the bill, the provisions would expire Sunday...

Get this

"Recent [ERROR TACKS] terror attacks, such as those at Fort Hood and on Christmas Day, demonstrate just how severe of a threat we are facing," Sessions said. "This extension keeps Patriot's security measures in place and demonstrates that there is a growing recognition that these crucial provisions must be preserved."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35592245/ns/politics/

peaceandlove · 02-26-2010, 08:13 AM

Thanks for posting no caste!

Interesting cowards

Excerpt:

Quote:

The vote came without any debate, and by voice vote so that individuals did not have to make their position public.

Dems Retreat, Senate Renews PATRIOT Act
No Privacy Protections, No Debate

by Jason Ditz, February 24, 2010

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/02/24/d...atriot%20-act/

no caste · 02-27-2010, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by no caste

I'm posting this whole article, as it's already been identified as an "attack site" by Google.

FBI director is taking an interest in e-book reading habits, like Kindle. Patriot Act extended to Feb. 28, 2011.
http://www.teleread.org/2010/02/05/f...ted-web-sites/

Link fixed

02-26-2010, 03:20 AM	#1
no caste Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 2,375	FBI director Robert Mueller wants ISPs to log visited web sites, Patriot Act extended I'm posting this whole article, as it's already been identified as an "attack site" by Google. FBI director is taking an interest in e-book reading habits, like Kindle. Patriot Act extended to Feb. 28, 2011. _____________________________________ FBI director Robert Mueller wants ISPs to log visited web sites By Chris Meadows - February 5th, 2010 Especially since 9/11, the FBI has long been interested in being able to check up on the reading habits of ordinary people. In 2002, we covered a librarian’s concern about a provision of the Patriot Act that would allow the FBI to request information from libraries. In 2005, we covered an actual use of that provision. In 2008, David Rothman discussed FBI director Robert Mueller suggesting “that the bureau should have a broad ‘omnibus’ authority to conduct monitoring and surveillance of private-sector networks.” Since the Kindle uses wireless networks, David was concerned that it meant the FBI might take an interest in e-book reading habits as well as paper ones. Now Mueller is at it again. At a federal task force meeting today, an attorney for the FBI said that Mueller would like ISPs to keep records of web users’ “origin and destination information.” In other words, the FBI wants to be able to find out what web sites users visit, just as it can get call information from phone companies. A number of ISP representatives are cited in the story saying that it would currently be very difficult, and perhaps a violation of wiretapping law, to keep track of that information. Whether possible or not, it could certainly have the potential to be a major violation of privacy. Almost everybody visits web sites that might be viewed as subversive or undesirable by authorities, or that they otherwise do not want other people to know about. (Some are unfortunate enough to do so while on national television.) On the e-book side, this might include politically-sensitive reading matter, or even sexual fetish art and fiction sites. It is understandable that the government wants power to track down terrorists. We would like for the government to be able to track down terrorists. The idea is good in theory. In practice, it leads to things like full-body scanners at airports and Canadian author Dr. Peter Watts getting beaten up by the border patrol. All sorts of people have been subject to government abuse on grounds of terror prevention, including Watts, singer Cat Stevens (who was denied entry into the US in 2004 on suspicion of supporting terrorists), and the thousands of people who are on no-fly lists because they’re unfortunate enough to have names similar to terrorists (including the late Senator Ted Kennedy). For that matter, J. Edgar Hoover maintained files on a list of 12,000 “subversives” who he planned to arrest without habeas corpus. If another Hoover comes along, some government official with an axe to grind, why should we give him extra ammunition? Because the access the FBI wants would require them to have a suspect already, they should be able to get much of the same information by examining the hard drives on the suspect’s computer, or subpoenaing access logs from the actual web sites in question. Making people’s entire browsing habits available would support “fishing expeditions,” where the suspect comes before the crime. Even leaving aside possible governmental wrongdoing, there have been stories about abuses of government databases by employees—for example, in 2008 an investigation revealed the passport files of “at least 127 famous persons had been accessed repeatedly.” I do not want my surfing habits visible to anyone else, even just someone in my ISP. It is simply too big a risk. http://www.teleread.org/2010/02/05/f...ted-web-sites/

02-26-2010, 03:27 AM	#2
no caste Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 2,375	Re: FBI director Robert Mueller wants ISPs to log visited web sites, Patriot Act exte House sends extension of Patriot Act to Obama updated 2 hours, 44 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Key provisions of the nation's primary counterterrorism law would be extended for a year under a bill passed by the House Thursday evening after Democrats retreated from adding new privacy protections... The House voted 315 to 97 to extend the USA Patriot Act, sending the bill to President Barack Obama. Without the bill, the provisions would expire Sunday... Get this "Recent [ERROR TACKS] terror attacks, such as those at Fort Hood and on Christmas Day, demonstrate just how severe of a threat we are facing," Sessions said. "This extension keeps Patriot's security measures in place and demonstrates that there is a growing recognition that these crucial provisions must be preserved." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35592245/ns/politics/

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