http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46953,00.html Bush Bill Rewrites Spy Laws By Declan McCullagh (declanat_private) 2:00 a.m. Sep. 19, 2001 PDT WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration will ask for more power to eavesdrop on phone calls, the Internet and voicemail messages, according to an outline of a bill obtained by Wired News. In response to last week's catastrophic terrorist attacks, President Bush plans to ask Congress to approve far-reaching legislation that rewrites U.S. laws dealing with electronic surveillance, immigration and support for terrorists. "We will call upon the Congress of the United States to enact these important anti-terrorism measures this week," Attorney General John Ashcroft said Monday. "We need these tools to fight the terrorism threat which exists in the United States, and we must meet that growing threat." According to the two-page outline -- which lacks key details and could change before it's sent to Capitol Hill -- police would be able to conduct more wiretaps and use the Carnivore surveillance system in more situations without court orders. That section of the bill appears to mirror an amendment the Senate approved last Thursday evening. No restrictions on encryption products, a prospect feared by some civil libertarians, appear in the outline. The bill hands prosecutors a courtroom edge, saying that accused terrorists should stay in jail by default, that detention of suspected terrorists is "mandatory," and that the Immigration and Naturalization Service will have more authority to kick immigrants suspected of being terrorists out of the United States. [...] ********** http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46959,00.html Coalition to Congress: Slow Down By Declan McCullagh (declanat_private) 7:00 a.m. Sep. 19, 2001 PDT WASHINGTON -- Dozens of groups worried about the future of free speech, privacy and other liberties in wartime have gathered together to ask Congress to tread carefully. A quickly organized alliance of liberal, libertarian and conservative organizations, tentatively named the In Defense of Freedom coalition, says legislators should not rush to rewrite wiretapping, immigration and surveillance laws. At noon Thursday, the group will hold a press conference at the National Press Club to present a list of principles they hope Congress will follow when weighing laws in response to last week's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. [...] ********** http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46900,00.html Geeks Gather to Back Crypto By Declan McCullagh (declanat_private) 2:00 a.m. Sep. 17, 2001 PDT CATONSVILLE, Maryland -- Rob Carlson is worried about something that most Americans would consider entirely obscure: the future of encryption technology. Carlson, a 21-year-old programmer who typically sports a floppy, pin-studded safari hat, fears that the U.S. Congress, in the wake of last week's bloody attacks, may vote for anti-terrorism legislation that also threatens privacy. "There's nothing as permanent as a temporary restriction," he says. In an announcement distributed online Friday, Carlson suggested that like-minded geeks gather at the University of Maryland's Baltimore County campus on Saturday and Sunday "in order to get the word out about the importance of civil liberties" and prepare for the worst on Capitol Hill. ********** http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46915,00.html What Future War Looks Like By Declan McCullagh and Ben Polen 2:00 a.m. Sep. 18, 2001 PDT President Bush has warned of a "different type of war" on terrorism. Wired News asked Stephen Sloan, a professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma, what a 21st century war might mean. Sloan's books include Simulating Terrorism and the Historical Dictionary of Terrorism. He has also served as a consultant to the U.S. military. [...] ********** From: "Bridis, Ted" <Ted.Bridisat_private> To: "'declanat_private'" <declanat_private> Subject: DOJ seeks changes to law on bio attacks Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2001 10:11:14 -0400 http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1000851795317977400.htm September 19, 2001 Justice Department Seeks Approval For Wide Antiterrorism Legislation By TED BRIDIS Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department is asking Congress to approve unexpectedly wide-ranging antiterrorism legislation that includes provisions covering everything from criminals wielding biological weapons, to use of DNA in terrorist investigations and police seizure of office voice mail. A draft of the proposal, called the Mobilization Against Terrorism Act and provided to Republican lawmakers this week, includes sections on intelligence, immigration, corporate records sought by police, U.S. cooperation with foreign governments and tax disclosures. The draft goes beyond specific requests to Congress made this week by Attorney General John Ashcroft, who has so far focused publicly on the need for legislation to relax restrictions on telephone and Internet wiretaps, and to strengthen laws against money laundering. The speed with which such proposals are moving -- the Senate already approved some changes to U.S. wiretap laws last week -- has alarmed some critics who say the Justice Department hasn't adequately explained its sweeping plans. Mr. Ashcroft said the changes are needed "to be able to fight effectively against terrorism," and he praised lawmakers for "their ideas, their comments, their suggestions and their support for a package that we would hope to have ready in the next few days." Some criticism has come from Republican lawmakers. In a letter to Mr. Ashcroft, Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia warned of a "vast expansion of government power in a misguided attempt to protect freedom," an effort that would "inevitably erode the very freedoms we seek to protect." National civil-liberties groups have quietly joined to form a single coalition, to be announced tomorrow, to urge that Congress and the White House take more time to weigh the Justice Department's requests. Representatives of dozens of these groups met here late last week to draft a statement of principles. The groups include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Democracy and Technology and the Free Congress Foundation, as well as immigration, Arab-American and church groups. The proposals include "things that are subject to abuse, that will be abused," said Morton H. Halperin, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "We're going to try to slow down the process, so that these things are done in an orderly and public way." "Policy makers are being careful figuring out who to target in the Middle East," added Jerry Berman, head of the Center for Democracy and Technology. "They should be just as careful to figure out what to target in the Constitution, so we don't experience collateral damage." The coalition hasn't invited any corporations to join, believing that companies would be reluctant to give the impression that they oppose antiterrorism measures. But some proposals, including one affecting "business records" sought by police, could be costly for corporations if it is mandated that records be retained for long periods. The technology industry previously has fought requirements that Internet companies keep records about subscribers' use of the Internet, citing high costs and privacy concerns. "We're not in the data-storage business," said America Online spokesman Nicholas Graham. "It's got everybody's antenna twitching," said Harris Miller, head of the Information Technology Association of America, which isn't part of the coalition. "Clearly if it does affect things like record retention, then it potentially creates huge expense, liability and privacy issues." Many companies probably will do much of their lobbying behind the scenes. AOL Time Warner Inc., the Internet and entertainment company, is "deeply interested in learning the details of each proposal," Mr. Graham said. Mr. Halperin said the civil-liberties groups face the same dilemma, risking a public impression that they are soft on terrorism if they oppose the Justice Department's proposals. ********** ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. 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