Revealed: FBI can demand web history, phone location data without a warrant

[1979Shocker]

http://www.zdnet.com/article/fbi-can-force-companies-to-turn-over-user-data-without-a-warrant/?tag=nl.e589&s_cid=e589&ttag=e589&ftag=TREc64629f

The FBI can compel companies and individuals to turn over vast sums of personal data without a warrant, it has been revealed for the first time.

In a case that's lasted more than a decade, a court filing released Monday showed how the FBI used secret interpretations to determine the scope of national security letters (NSLs).

[Kung Wu]

Warrantless confiscation of private information, bundled with a 10 year gag order. At what point do you stop trusting your government?

[shoxilla]

What is the opposite for 12th of NEVER?

[MoValley John]

So.....

The FBI has all of JJ'S porn. That'll take a while for them to decipher!

[wu_shizzle]

Warrantless confiscation of private information, bundled with a 10 year gag order. At what point do you stop trusting your government?

I was blessed to be taught the motivations for the founding of our Republic, so the thought never occurred to me to trust the bureaucracy.

I am realizing more and more that the Bill of Rights and the Constitution might as well be ancient sanskrit nowadays.

[Rlh04d]

I don't have much detail on this particular situation, but I think the assumption most people will have over this, is that the FBI is involved so this is a matter of the FBI requiring US companies provide data on US persons.

I would strongly recommend not jumping to that conclusion, without information expressly stating that this is what's happening.

US companies provide services online to people all over the world. If this is a matter of the FBI requiring data on Americans without judicial oversight, I entirely agree with others. If the data is not from Americans, though, I entirely disagree. Just because it's the FBI involved does not necessarily mean it's domestic surveillance.

[Kung Wu]

I don't have much detail on this particular situation, but I think the assumption most people will have over this, is that the FBI is involved so this is a matter of the FBI requiring US companies provide data on US persons.

I would strongly recommend not jumping to that conclusion, without information expressly stating that this is what's happening.

US companies provide services online to people all over the world. If this is a matter of the FBI requiring data on Americans without judicial oversight, I entirely agree with others. If the data is not from Americans, though, I entirely disagree. Just because it's the FBI involved does not necessarily mean it's domestic surveillance.

About half of the NSLs pertain to US citizens.

[pinstripers]

What is the opposite for 12th of NEVER?

the 32nd of JELLO

[JJClamdip]

So.....

The FBI has all of JJ'S porn. That'll take a while for them to decipher!

Yea, they called about that the other day, I probably need to find an attorney.

[Rlh04d]

About half of the NSLs pertain to US citizens.

In those cases there should almost certainly be more safeguards for their rights, then.

I have a hard time believing things are as blasé as they're portrayed here, though, given the requirements I am familiar with. If they are, FBI works on entirely different rules.

[Rlh04d]

Yea, they called about that the other day, I probably need to find an attorney.

Jeremy Margolis seems good.

[Kung Wu]

I have a hard time believing things are as blasé as they're portrayed here, though, given the requirements I am familiar with. If they are, FBI works on entirely different rules.

Blase' is a matter of opinion. What isn't opinion is that the FBI can issue a subpoena for a U.S. citizen's private information coupled with a 10 year gag order, signed only by the Special Agent in Charge of any FBI field division, under the pretense that it's pertinent to an "authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities".

No judge required, no external oversight.

Now I realize that for the most part FBI agents aren't brain dead morons, and trust that they aren't going to be flippant about issuing NSL's. But it is worrisome that the standard of what constitutes a domestic terrorist is always expanding and never contracting, and that there is no external oversight on the issuing of these subpoenas. We know that federal agencies, like any entity, have bad actors.

We also know that 19,000 NSLs were issued in 2013 alone, which contained over 38,000 individual requests for information. That's just in one year.

[Rlh04d]

Blase' is a matter of opinion. What isn't opinion is that the FBI can issue a subpoena for a U.S. citizen's private information coupled with a 10 year gag order, signed only by the Special Agent in Charge of any FBI field division, under the pretense that it's pertinent to an "authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities".

No judge required, no external oversight.

Now I realize that for the most part FBI agents aren't brain dead morons, and trust that they aren't going to be flippant about issuing NSL's. But it is worrisome that the standard of what constitutes a domestic terrorist is always expanding and never contracting, and that there is no external oversight on the issuing of these subpoenas. We know that federal agencies, like any entity, have bad actors.

We also know that 19,000 NSLs were issued in 2013 alone, which contained over 38,000 individual requests for information. That's just in one year.

I agree with everything you said.

I try not to have strong opinions about things I don't have all of the information on ... but I do agree.