Eavesdropping Rule Change Is Significant

[cal04]

For the first time in nearly four decades, a senior intelligence official - not a secretive federal court - will have a decisive voice in whether Americans' communications can be monitored when they talk to foreigners overseas.

The shift came over the weekend as Congress hustled through changes to the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA.

The bill provides new powers to the National Security Agency to monitor communications that enter the United States and involve foreigners who are the subjects of a national security investigation.

(snip)
The power may last longer than some people expect, Graves noted, thanks to a little-noticed provision of the bill. While the law expires in February unless Congress acts to extend it, any surveillance orders that are in place when it sunsets can last up to a full year, she said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6831556,00.html

[Solly Mack]

1. oh, I noticed that provision

[TahitiNut]

5. ditto

The time runs out at the same time Smirk & Sneer run out.

[liberal N proud]

2. So they just order surveillance on all of us, that wallah they can continue indefinitely

Like they haven't already been listening.

[VP505]

3. Guess the

little noticed provision will get a hell of a work out in the next 180 day's, I would imaging that whoever is in charge of issuing surveillance orders will have his people working overtime to get as many as possible out.

[earthside]

4. Watch Today's Democracy Now!

I cannot stress this enough ... Watch today's Democracy Now!

The entire hour (after headlines) with Glenn Greenwald and Marjorie Cohn on the FISA law change.

Democracy Now!

Or see a replay on FSTV or Link-TV this evening.

We have been so betrayed.

[katty]

6. welcome back to the Cold War days