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  1. The Security and Threat of Unchecked Presidential Power - Jonathan Pryor's web log
    1. The Security and Threat of Unchecked Presidential Power

The Security and Threat of Unchecked Presidential Power - Jonathan Pryor's web log

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The Security and Threat of Unchecked Presidential Power

When it was earlier discovered that President Bush had permitted wiretaps without a warrant, there was a lot of crying out as to whether or not this is legal. Apparently it isn't clear whether or not this action was legal, so we'll likely see this debated for the next year.

What is clear is that the scenario is clear as mud, with the NSA potentially using technology originally developed for Total Information Awareness (TIA), a program which would allow automated scanning of all electronic messages.

Meanwhile, the US Senate and Congress are trying to pass the USAPATRIOT Act.

Bruce Schneier chimes in with some wonderful quotes:

If the president can ignore laws regulating surveillance and wiretapping, why is Congress bothering to debate reauthorizing certain provisions of the Patriot Act?

What is clear is that the government wants an increasing role in our lives, even if computer-automated surveillance is a bad idea.

Posted on 21 Dec 2005 | Path: /wtf/ | Permalink
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