CyberLaw Blog
A news resource for CyberLaw and Cyber-Rights issues from around the globe
Federal Judge Finds N.S.A. Wiretaps Were Illegal – NYTimes.com
Friday, April 2nd, 2010Federal Judge Finds N.S.A. Wiretaps Were Illegal – NYTimes.com
By CHARLIE SAVAGE and JAMES RISEN
Published: March 31, 2010
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the National Security Agency’s program of surveillance without warrants was illegal, rejecting the Obama administration’s effort to keep shrouded in secrecy one of the most disputed counterterrorism policies of former President George W. Bush.
In a 45-page opinion, Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that the government had violated a 1978 federal statute requiring court approval for domestic surveillance when it intercepted phone calls of Al Haramain, a now-defunct Islamic charity in Oregon, and of two lawyers representing it in 2004. Declaring that the plaintiffs had been ‘subjected to unlawful surveillance,’ the judge said the government was liable to pay them damages.
The ruling delivered a blow to the Bush administration’s claims that its surveillance program, which Mr. Bush secretly authorized shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was lawful. Under the program, the National Security Agency monitored Americans’ international e-mail messages and phone calls without court approval, even though the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, required warrants.
The Justice Department said it was reviewing the decision and had made no decision about whether to appeal. (more…)
Bush-era NSA wiretap violations exposed
Friday, April 17th, 2009Bush-era NSA wiretap violations exposed: “
US hawks not amused
The New York Times has broken the latest news in the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping odyssey: that the NSA has been routinely scanning American communications at a rate far beyond what had been envisioned by Congress when the telecoms immunity and FISA wiretapping revisions passed last summer.…
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(Via The Register – Public Sector.)
NSA offering ‘billions’ for Skype eavesdrop solution
Thursday, February 12th, 2009NSA offering ‘billions’ for Skype eavesdrop solution: “
Business model for P2P firm at last?
Counter Terror Expo News of a possible viable business model for P2P VoIP network Skype emerged today, at the Counter Terror Expo in London. An industry source disclosed that America’s supersecret National Security Agency (NSA) is offering ‘billions’ to any firm which can offer reliable eavesdropping on Skype IM and voice traffic.…
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(Via The Register – Comms.)
