The Senate Intelligence Committee has overwhelmingly voted for a new – as yet secret – bill that would allow security agencies to examine a wider range of private data without obtaining a search warrant from a court. One senator has expressed outrage.“This bill takes a hatchet to important protections for Americans’ liberty. This bill would mean more government surveillance of Americans, less due process and less independent oversight of US intelligence agencies,” wrote Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden on his personal website after being defeated in a 14 to 1 vote by the 2017 Intelligence Authorization Act committee this week. The legislation is now headed for a full Senate vote.“Worse, neither the intelligence agencies, nor the bill’s sponsors have shown any evidence that these changes would do anything to make Americans more secure. I plan to work with colleagues in both chambers to reverse these dangerous provisions.” The changes concern National Security Letters (NSLs) that are issued by the executive branch without authorization from a judge. They are sent out by FBI along with a gag order that prevents the recipient – usually a telephone company, internet provider, or bank – from disclosing the NSL’s existence. NSLs cannot request the content of emails, telephone calls, or bank statements, but can demand “transactional records” that are “relevant” to an investigation. Following a clarification from the Bush administration in 2008, NSLs cannot currently request an email’s subject lines, website URLs, social media logins, or other revealing data. However, according to Wyden, the new bill, whose contents will be released to the public next week at the earliest, expands their application. “While this bill does not clearly define ‘electronic communication transaction records,’ this term could easily be read to encompass records of whom individuals exchange emails with and when, as well as their login history, IP addresses, and internet browsing history,” Wyden told the Guardian. Pretty much what this bill states, is that anything you literally do on the internet the FBI can spy on your doings without any legal provisions that guard the internet user. This law could be used against people who buy things like guns, stored foods, tactical gear, and outdoor gear. Pretty much what this law is against, is to keep taps on any American who doesn't believe in the government system. This bill could also lead to the possible internet kill switch, but likely this is to keep tap on preppers and gun lovers to possibly put these people into a nationwide database.
