The
US government wants a blanket right to tap secretly all
international phone calls and e-mails made and received by US
citizens.
In a letter to Congress in which he proposed changes to the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Director of National
Intelligence Mike McConnell said, "The proposal makes clear that
court orders are not necessary to effectively collect foreign
intelligence about foreign targets overseas. The proposal would
also provide a means of obtaining assistance that may be required
from private parties."
This means the government could force communications companies
to hand over
customers' details, records and content of their messages. Nor
would it have to prove a prior link between terrorism or serious
organised crime. Information gained would be available to officials
for 10 years.
The proposal prevents communications companies from telling
their customers that they are subject to investigation, and
protects them from being sued by customers.
McConnell said a Congressional counterproposal to an earlier DNI
initiative "would also require in practice that we continue to
divert scarce counterterrorism experts to compiling court
submissions in order to gain judicial approval to gather necessary
foreign intelligence about these overseas targets."
Civil liberties groups are against McConnell's proposal.
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