Bad news if you’re an American who values your privacy. A total of 256 members of the House of Representatives voted this morning to expand the government’s surveillance powers, ignoring widespread support for reform. A roll call posted after the vote shows that breaks down to 191 Republicans and 65 Democrats. The vote came to a head after years of debate over the US’ surveillance and intelligence-gathering capability, largely brought to light after the Edward Snowden disclosures in 2013. The so-called “crown jewels” of the intelligence community’s powers, section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, are set to expire next week after an earlier deadline of December 31 was pushed back, forcing lawmakers to act to extend the National Security Agency’s legal authority to spy on foreigners overseas. Section 702 allows the NSA to gather intelligence on foreigners overseas by collecting data from chokepoints where fiber optic cables owned by telecom giants enter the US. But the collection also incidentally sweeps up large amounts of data on countless Americans, who are constitutionally protected from warrantless surveillance. Event though section 702 explicitly prohibits the targeting of Americans, the intelligence community can then search those messages without a warrant. The vote… Read full this story
- Senate impasse: NSA spy tactics—including phone records collection—expire
- Report: Obama set to approve “public advocate” position, more NSA reforms
- White House downplays short-term debt limit extension as talks continue - live blog
- Senate to vote on surveillance authorities Congress let expire earlier this year
- Remote vote? In Trump shadow, stay-home Congress eyes change
- Why Americans Don’t Vote Their Class Anymore
- How a British Spy Drank His Way Across the Americas—and Missed the Civil War
- House of Lords fury as David Cameron packs unelected chamber with Tory donors and cronies
- ICE Now Aided by ‘Enhanced’ Spy Powers
- House votes to renew FISA program, following mixed messages from Trump
These are the House members who voted to extend NSA spying and reject privacy reforms have 302 words, post on www.zdnet.com at January 11, 2018. This is cached page on Bach Thien. If you want remove this page, please contact us.