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