7 October 1998

See cited provisions: http://jya.com/fiiti.htm

For more on Justice/FBI's closed-door campaign: http://jya.com/fbi-barr.htm

Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 20:06:08 -0500
To: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
From: Alan Davidson <abd@CDT.ORG>
Subject: House Passes Roving Wiretaps, Expands Federal Surveillance Powers

Folks might be interested and horrified by this dead-of-night move by 
the FBI.


House Passes Roving Wiretaps, Expands Federal Surveillance Powers

In a closed-door manuever, controversial "roving wiretap" provisions were
added to a major Intelligence authorization bill and passed by the House
this afternoon. Current wiretapping law allows tapping of a particular
person's phones. The new provisions would dramatically expand current
authority by allowing taps on any phone used by, or "proximate" to, the
person being tapped -- no matter whose phone it is. Such a broad law
invites abuse.

In the last Congress, the full House of Representatives rejected these
provisions after an open and vigorous debate. This week, behind closed
doors, a conference committee added the provisions to the important
Intelligence Authorization Conference Report, almost certain to pass the
Congress. The provisions were not in either the original House or Senate
versions of the bill.  CDT is particularly concerned that such an expansion
of federal authority should take place without a public debate.

The text of the new roving wiretap provisions will be available this
evening on CDT's Web site at: http://www.cdt.org

Alan Davidson, Staff Counsel                 202.637.9800 (v)
Center for Democracy and Technology          202.637.0968 (f)
1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 1100                  <abd@cdt.org>
Washington, DC 20006                         PGP key via finger