"If you needed a reminder that several Republican lawmakers only care about secret surveillance when their guy is the target, keep an eye on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.).
This week the Senate is expected to vote to renew some Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorities that expired in March. As part of the renewal, some privacy-minded senators from both sides of the aisle are attempting to attach some reforms to better protect Americans from warrantless surveillance.
On Monday, Spencer Ackerman at The Daily Beast reported that McConnell, who is urging senators to reject these reforms, is circulating an amendment that would actually expand the authority of the FBI to secretly snoop on citizens.
Two independent sources provided a copy of the amendment to Reason. As Ackerman reported, the amendment would give the FBI the authority under the PATRIOT Act to secretly collect the browsing records and search history of Americans without a warrant.
McConnell's amendment accomplishes this by adding the words "internet website browsing records, internet search history records" to the list of records described in FISA law that covers FBI searches that require businesses to provide customer records. In other words, this amendment would permit the FBI to turn to your internet provider and demand they fork over your browser history."
This week the Senate is expected to vote to renew some Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorities that expired in March. As part of the renewal, some privacy-minded senators from both sides of the aisle are attempting to attach some reforms to better protect Americans from warrantless surveillance.
On Monday, Spencer Ackerman at The Daily Beast reported that McConnell, who is urging senators to reject these reforms, is circulating an amendment that would actually expand the authority of the FBI to secretly snoop on citizens.
Two independent sources provided a copy of the amendment to Reason. As Ackerman reported, the amendment would give the FBI the authority under the PATRIOT Act to secretly collect the browsing records and search history of Americans without a warrant.
McConnell's amendment accomplishes this by adding the words "internet website browsing records, internet search history records" to the list of records described in FISA law that covers FBI searches that require businesses to provide customer records. In other words, this amendment would permit the FBI to turn to your internet provider and demand they fork over your browser history."