The FBI can’t identify any major case developments under Section 215 of the Patriot Act
The Inspector General of the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed in a report released on Thursday that spying powers claimed under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act…
Executive Spying Goes Further than the Patriot Act
On Sunday, the Senate will vote on reauthorizing Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the controversial section that allows the bulk collection of telephone metadata. Actually, it doesn’t allow it,…
Rand Paul’s Latest Stand Has Bought Another Chance for Real Surveillance Reform
UPDATE: Senator Paul is standing firm on his promise to hold out for better surveillance reforms. Since Senator McConnell has thus far shown no indication that he will allow the…
USA Freedom 3.0 – Steps Forward and Missed Opportunities
Today, the House will likely pass their bill, the USA FREEDOM Act, to reform and reauthorize the controversial Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. This portion of the…
Federal Court: NSA’s Metadata Program Is Illegal
In an era of judicial activism and a lot of nonsense talk about “a living document,” it’s refreshing to see that there are still some Courts interested in upholding the…
Patriot Act Renewal Action Happening Fast: See What’s Coming Up
Set to expire at the end of May, Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act is only one of a number of authorities the government uses to defy the 4th…
The Insidious Tyranny of General Warrants
You’ve seen it a thousand times in movies, on police dramas, in any media dealing with crime and punishment. The police show up at a suspect’s house demanding entry, only…
Surveillance Reform Is a Must for PATRIOT Act Reauthorization
Congress is preparing to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act within the next couple of weeks, a wide reaching law that was hastily crafted without much regard for the long-term implications. In…
The NSA May Be Spying on You through Your Computer’s Hard Drive
The NSA could literally be inside your computer. A couple years ago, most people would probably dismiss this as a tin-foil hat conspiracy theory. However, with the Snowden leaks…
Tell Your Rep: Do Not Vote for Patriot Act Reauthorization!
This year, Congress has a real opportunity to push through substantive NSA reforms. You may have read that the Patriot Act will expire this year but that’s not entirely true.