Congress plans to expand Patriot Act with DOJ access to your web browsing and search activity without a warrant

The infamous Patriot Act, which uses the threat of terrorism to expand surveillance over American citizens, is up for renewal under the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act – which is set to be voted on soon. Specifically, Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows the government to ask record keepers for records relating to ongoing investigations. As if the original phone metadata siphoning provisions of the Patriot Act aren’t enough, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has introduced an amendment which would allow the Department of Justice (DOJ) to have access to anybody’s web browsing and search history under Section 215.

The impetus of the reauthorization amendment is the ongoing investigation into President Trump and possible collusion with the Kremlin. Essentially, the amendment allows Attorney General Bill Barr to look at the web browsing history of any American without a warrant – citizen or not – if he simply claims that it is related to the ongoing investigation. Senator Rob Wyden (D-OR) explained to The Daily Beast:

“Under the McConnell amendment, Barr gets to look through the web browsing history of any American—including journalists, politicians, and political rivals—without a warrant, just by saying it is relevant to an investigation.”

👉🏼 Read more:
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/congress-plans-to-expand-patriot-act-with-doj-access-to-your-web-browsing-and-search-activity-without-a-warrant/

#USA #Congress #patriotact #DOJ #phone #metadata #surveillance #privacy #why #thinkabout
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv

The US Senate just voted to let the FBI access your browser history without a warrant

In a major blow to citizens’ privacy, the US Senate voted today to give law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and CIA the power to look into your browser history without a warrant. Thanks, Mitch McConnell.

Senators Ron Wyden from Oregan and Senator Steve Daines of Montana led the charge to insert privacy protections into the Patriot Act, which gives law enforcement agencies power for surveillance in order to maintain national security. However, the privacy protection amendment fell short by just one vote, as many senators who may have voted in favor of it didn’t show up.

[Read: Using ‘personalized AI’ to end coronavirus lockdown is a stupid, cruel idea]

This vote is a setback to the privacy of citizens at multiple levels. There’s already a growing level of concern among privacy advocates as governments around the world are using the coronavirus pandemic as a shield to insert new surveillance measures without any guardrails.

Evan Greer, the deputy director of Fight For The Future, a non-profit digital advocacy group, told Motherboard that the Patriot Act should be repealed in its entirety:

"The Patriot Act should be repealed in its entirety, set on fire, and buried in the ground. It’s one of the worst laws passed in the last century, and there is zero evidence that the mass surveillance programs it enables have ever saved a single human life."

👉🏼 Read more:
https://thenextweb.com/security/2020/05/14/the-us-senate-just-voted-to-let-the-fbi-access-your-browser-history-without-a-warrant/

#USA #Congress #patriotact #DOJ #phone #metadata #surveillance #privacy #why #thinkabout
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv