WTH is this? Senate bill rewrite lets feds read your e-mail without warrants

[BadgerKid]

CNET has learned that Patrick Leahy, the influential Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, has dramatically reshaped his legislation in response to law enforcement concerns. A vote on his bill, which now authorizes warrantless access to Americans' e-mail, is scheduled for next week.

Leahy's rewritten bill would allow more than 22 agencies -- including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission -- to access Americans' e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also would give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority, in some circumstances, to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge.

...

Looks like a 180-turn from Sen. Leahy's previous championing *for* warrants (just search DU).

[Autumn]

1. Fucking crazy if true. Do you have a link?

[hughee99]

3. I think it's from here.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552225-38/senate-bill-rewrite-lets-feds-read-your-e-mail-without-warrants/

[BadgerKid]

9. Yep.

Sorry for being remiss. Got distracted from posting the link because of wiping the milk-saturated Cheerios off my keyboard.

[think]

2. WTF?

[leveymg]

4. Leahy often second-guesses himself, and can get it very wrong in the end.

He's done this before several times in the run-up to the USA Patriot Act, reauthorizations and Amendments. He comes out initially expressing "grave misgivings" but in the end ends up pushing the Bill through committee and sponsoring it on the Floor.

He did this also in the aborted inquiry into Bush Administration malfeasance related to 9/11 and deception of the Commission. Leahy was initially very open to netroots input on this, even posting and responding to questions on DailyKos. But the hearing were a whitewash.

Very disappointing.

[fredamae]

5. Can you share the Bill Number? n/t

[hughee99]

6. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this might be it

S.1011
Latest Title: Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2011
Sponsor: Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] (introduced 5/17/2011) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 5/17/2011 Referred to Senate committee.
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:s.01011:

I'm not sure that the copy of the bill at this link has the changes that were being discussed in the article, though.

[fredamae]

12. Thank you Very much! :) n/t

[fredamae]

13. Here is the list

of Judiciary Members - http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members.cfm

[think]

7. So now top Dems are FOR warrantless searches of your email and Google Docs? nice......

[lastlib]

8. What part...

...of "The Right of the People to be secure..." don't these f*cks understand?? . . .

[naaman fletcher]

10. This is insane. nt

[leftyohiolib]

11. who needs the republicans

[fredamae]

14. Track Senate Judiciary Hrgs/Meetings Etc

http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/index.cfm?t=month&d=12-2012&p=hearings