May 13, 2004

by Reb Yudel
What the ACLU wasn't supposted to tell you about the Patriot Act

According to this Washington Post article, ACLU Was Forced to Revise Release on Patriot Act Suit (washingtonpost.com), here's the paragraph the feds didn't want you to read:
"The provision under challenge allows an FBI agent to write a letter demanding the disclosure of the name, screen names, addresses, e-mail header information, and other sensitive information held by 'electronic communication service providers.'"
Bottom line: They don't need any warrant to lookup the information at your ISP.

So here's what's been oddly lost amidst the brouhaha over Google's new Gmail service automatically putting ads in their email service: Once the data is resting permanently on Google's hard drives, will the government need anything more than an FBI letter to start rummaging around through all sorts of data-mining techniques?

Remember: According to the Bush Doctrine, you don't have to be guilty to be locked away forever; you just need to be a suspect.