Legislate to Improve Security, Not Eliminate Freedoms
DOJ's Panic Law Would Dismantle Civil Liberties
| Here is a news announcement from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group which opposes terrorism and support human rights. |
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has criticized the "Mobilization Against Terrorism Act" proposed by the US Department of Justice because many provisions of the law would dramatically alter the civil liberties landscape through unnecessarily broad restrictions against free speech and privacy rights in the United States and abroad.
EFF again urged Congress to act with deliberation in approving only measures that are effective in preventing terrorism while protecting the freedoms of Americans.
Attorney General John Ashcroft distributed the proposed Mobilization Against Terrorism Act to members of Congress after Monday's press conference at which he indicated that, among other measures, he would ask Congress to expand the ability of law enforcement officers to perform wiretaps in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Ashcroft asked Congress to pass anti-terrorism legislation including "expanded electronic surveillance" by the end of this week.
EFF believes this broad legislation would radically tip the United States system of checks and balances, giving the government unprecedented authority to surveil American citizens with little judicial or other oversight.
One particularly egregious section of the DOJ's analysis of its proposed legislation says that "United States prosecutors may use against American citizens information collected by a foreign government even if the collection would have violated the Fourth Amendment."
"Operating from abroad, foreign governments will do the dirty work of spying on the communications of Americans worldwide. US protections against unreasonable search and seizure won't matter," commented EFF Senior Staff Attorney Lee Tien.
Additional provisions of the proposed Mobilization Against Terrorism Act include measures which:
-
* Make it possible to obtain e-mail message header
information and Internet user web browsing patterns without
a wiretap order
* Remove controls on roving wiretaps
* Permit law enforcement to disclose information obtained through wiretaps to any employee of the Executive branch
* Reduce restrictions on domestic investigations under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
* Permit grand juries to provide information to the US intelligence community
* Permit the President to designate any "foreign-directed individual, group, or entity," including any United States citizen or organization, as a target for FISA surveillance
* Prevent people from even talking about terrorist acts
* Establish a DNA database for every person convicted of any felony or certain sex offenses, almost all of which are entirely unrelated to terrorism
Ashcroft's proposed legislation comes in the wake of the Senate's hasty passage of the "Combating Terrorism Act" on the evening of September 13 with less than 30 minutes of consideration on the Senate floor.
---------------------------------
The Electronic Frontier Foundation web site is at http://www.eff.org/
President Bush said that terrorists oppose freedom. Passing a bill to cut down American freedom would give the terrorists what they want. Freedom is good; freedom is America. Don't let the federal government, or terrorists, harm our American values!
And what is your opinion? Tell your views to The Progress Report:
| Page One | Page Two | Archive |
| Discussion Room | Letters | What's Geoism? |
