Lorr47
Posts: 862
Joined: 3/13/2007 Status: offline
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ORIGINAL: servantforuse They can do all of those things. It is illigal though without a FISA court order issued by a federal judge.. MmeGigs is oh so right as this exerpt from an NPR post indicates: "National security letters" are a type of administrative subpoena that can be used by the FBI in intelligence investigations without judicial approval. It allows FBI agents to seize financial records, communications information and other personal documents, by drafting a letter stating that the information being sought is relevant to a national security investigation. Section 505 of the Patriot Act expanded the government's authority to use the procedure."On an unknown date, the government used this authority to obtain records from an Internet service provider. In April 2004, the ACLU sued on behalf of the service provider, arguing that the seizure violated the First and Fourth Amendments. Last September, a federal judge in New York upheld the challenge. The judge found that the way the letters are executed is coercive, and recipients are not allowed to challenge the orders." Now, suppose the government wrote a National Security Letter in order to read all the posts and e mail from this site. There would be no court scrutiny; no warrant. The internet provider has few options, obey, or spend a ton of money. The persons on this site would not have a hint the search is occurring; until, that is, when your boss, co workers, relatives start asking you what "Collar Me" is. I am sure Servantfor use has an expectation of privacy.
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