--- Background: http://www.politechbot.com/cgi-bin/politech.cgi?name=carnivore http://www.politechbot.com/cgi-bin/politech.cgi?name=armey ---

Majority Leader Armey is sending a letter this morning to Attorney General Ashcroft asking him to respond to the privacy concerns raised by the Carnivore cybersnooping system.

Richard Diamond Office of the Majority Leader US House of Representatives 202-225-6007 / www.freedom.gov

June 14, 2001

The Honorable John Ashcroft U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Ashcroft,

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling regarding law enforcement's use of technology. The Court ruled that thermal imaging devices allowed "police technology to erode the privacy guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment." In particular, the Court held in Kyllo v. United States that use of electronic devices to gather information that would not otherwise be available constitutes a search: Where... the Government uses a device that is not in general public use, to explore details of a private home that would previously have been unknowable without physical intrusion, the surveillance is a Fourth Amendment "search," and is presumptively unreasonable without a warrant. It is reasonable, then, to ask whether the Internet surveillance system formerly known as "Carnivore" similarly undermines the minimum expectation that individuals have that their personal electronic communications will not be examined by law enforcement devices unless a specific court warrant has been issued.

Your predecessor, Attorney General Janet Reno, reluctantly undertook a review of Carnivore last year in an attempt to address these concerns. That review, however, seemed to raise more questions about the system than it answered. The review team ultimately selected was found to have clear political ties to the Clinton Administration. According to media accounts, most major universities declined even to participate in the review proposal process due to questions about its objectivity. And, not surprisingly, they delivered a report restating the previous Administration's position on the system.

Because I am confident that you will take a much more constructive approach to this issue, I wanted to share my privacy concern with you directly. I believe the FBI is making a good-faith effort to fight crime in the most efficient way possible. But I also believe the Founders quite clearly decided to sacrifice that kind of efficiency for the sake of protecting citizens from the danger of an overly intrusive government.

I respectfully ask that you consider the serious constitutional questions Carnivore has raised and respond with how you intend to address them. This is an issue of great importance to the online public.

I look forward to working constructively with you on this and many other issues in the coming years.

Sincerely, DICK ARMEY House Majority Leader

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Answers

I think they need to address the medical records BS first.

(Why I try to put "logic" into "Congress" is beyond me.)

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Logic? Congress don't got LOGIC!

If I was in a dark and dreary mood, I'd mumble something about how the United States is following the same step-by-step plan that the Romans did to get an empire.

Only difference is, we don't have anyone in Washington smart enough to be Caesar. Plenty who WANT to be, sure, but none who are smart enough.

( ... *static* ... "and that's today's editorial comment ...")

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2001

This "problem" is easily solved with some TINFOIL. Put a hat on your adobe folks before it is too late!

BTW, just how many guns is Dickhead Army storing at his home? LOL

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2001

BTW, the TINFOIL solution(TM), is endorsed by Treasury Secretary Paul (Alcoa) O'Neill.

:)

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2001