FBI Sending Thousands of Secret Letters

[The Straight Story]

FBI Sending Thousands of Secret Letters

The FBI is aggressively using a Patriot Act power that allows investigators to subpoena email records, phone call logs, and financial data without getting a judge's permission, according to a report provided to Congress late Friday evening.

In 2005, FBI investigators issued themselves 9,254 "national security letters" pertaining to the activities of 3,501 citizens and green card holders, according to news accounts of the report. No information was released on the number of NSLs used to get information on non-U.S. persons.

That's good news.

These letters, authorized under Section 505 of the Patriot Act, are among the most powerful tools given to anti-terrorism agents following the September 11 attacks.

The report is the first public account of how the FBI has used this power to write its own search warrants. These are powerful tools. If an ISP gets one, it can't say anything to anyone. The real target never gets a chance to fight the subpoena and unless they are prosecuted, never even learn the letter was issued. And FBI agents can use the data to fill a massive data-mining database or use the information as the basis for sticking someone's name on the terrorist watch list.


http://blog.wired.com/27BStroke6/

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. This is good news?

That the FBI, which has a record of spying on Americans since the time of J. Edgar Hoover, can now write its own secret warrants is a good thing? We have no control over what they find-and I'm not talking about links to terrorism. They could find something they could use to smear someone or even blackmail them. NOT good news. Sorry.

[The Straight Story]

2. no

I think he meant it differently than it came out (from reading the rest of the info at the link). I think he means it is good news that it has come out.

[librechik]

3. ryansingel on the Wired blog seems to think so

why don't we respond to his post and tell him how full of shit he is?

ryansingel is not an authoritative source, IMO