New Meaning Given to "Reach Out and Touch Someone"?

This week USA Today ran a story on the NSA collecting the phone records of "tens of millions of Americans using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth." This information was given to USA Today by sources who did not want to be identified. If true, this raises more questions about whether the privacy of ordinary Americans is being invaded by a government agency against the law. Read the USA today story here.

Meanwhile, Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and John Conyers (D-MI) have introduced the “Lawful Intelligence and Surveillance of Terrorists in an Emergency by NSA Act” (The LISTEN Act).

The proposed legislation "makes clear that any attempt to listen in on Americans or collect telephone or e-mail records must be conducted in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), or Title III of the criminal code. In both cases, court warrants based on probable cause are required. The Act states that FISA is the exclusive way to conduct electronic surveillance of U.S. persons on U.S. soil for intelligence purposes. It also states and that the Authorization to Use Military Force, passed by Congress in October 2002, did not constitute authority to engage in electronic surveillance outside of FISA."

Further, "the legislation provides tools to expedite emergency warrant applications, and authorizes funds to incorporate standardization, electronic filing and streamlined review procedures at the NSA and Department of Justice. It requires the President to ensure that resources are adequate to process warrants, and requires the Administration to comply with FISA at all times."

Read Rep. Harman's press release.