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(visit the link for the full news article)
"An alarming story about a Senate plan to let federal agencies read your email turns out to have been a false alarm. Unfortunately, fears over online privacy mean such stories travel quickly — and that we’re likely to see the media crying wolf in the future."
... According to CNET, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy (D Vt), quietly rewrote a proposed law to give vast new investigative powers to 22 agencies like the Federal Reserve and the FCC. CNET pointed to excerpts from a draft bill to suggests agency gnomes would no longer even need a warrant to read your emails, Facebook musings or Google documents....
the bill it cited was just one of many versions circulating in the Senate and was not one being taken seriously. She also pointed out that such a law would come at a disturbing time given the recent flap over General Petraeus’ email. Finally, Hill quoted a Leahy spokesman who said the article was “wrong.”
Other news outlets soon published additional denials from Leahy’s office.
... this non-scandal over email privacy reveals how these stories exist in a media sweet spot that taps public fears of technology, the government and big companies. News stories that confirm suspicions about an online Big Brother will always attract an audience, especially as they appeal to both liberals and right-wing libertarians.
Originally posted by Maxmars
Are we reassured? ... I for one am not!
- When the CFR (Forbes) start "reassuring" me that my privacy is "safe" I know it's time to look more closely.
- When people are expected to sigh in relief over the notion that "many versions [are] circulating in the Senate," and ... "not ... being taken seriously" ... I know we have a serious problem in the Senate too.
- When a Senator willfully sponsors any legislation to empower a private entity such as the Federal Reserve, or committees full of political appointees like the FCC with "legal investigative authority" our judicial system must be formally declared DEAD
The object of these 'virtual' talking heads is to get you to think that we should expect outrageous human rights-demolishing legislation to be circulating around the halls of power... but not to worry, they are probably not serious about it.... to which the rational person should say "Seriously? That's what they do... create BS legislation just for fun? ... I don't think so."
Someone wants to further increase the reach and power of the economic masters and gatekeepers of information exchange .... but according to these 'elite' experts... not to worry....
... this non-scandal over email privacy reveals how these stories exist in a media sweet spot that taps public fears of technology, the government and big companies. News stories that confirm suspicions about an online Big Brother will always attract an audience, especially as they appeal to both liberals and right-wing libertarians.
Originally posted by ConspiracyBuff
Doood...
They've been reading it so long the algorithms know what your going to write even before you do.
Originally posted by Maxmars
"OMG; They're reading my emai!: How the media inflames privacy panic"
gigaom.com
(visit the link for the full news article)
"An alarming story about a Senate plan to let federal agencies read your email turns out to have been a false alarm. Unfortunately, fears over online privacy mean such stories travel quickly — and that we’re likely to see the media crying wolf in the future."
www.wired.com...
Leahy’s initial package, if approved as proposed, would nullify the provision of ECPA that allows the government to acquire a suspect’s e-mail or other stored content from an internet service provider without showing probable cause that a crime was committed, as long as the content has been stored on a third-party server for 180 days or more. Currently, to acquire such data, the government only needs to show, often via an administrative subpoena, that it has “reasonable grounds to believe” the information would be useful in an investigation.
When enacted two decades ago, ECPA provided much more privacy than it does today. The act was adopted at a time when e-mail wasn’t stored on servers for a long time, but instead was held there briefly on its way to a recipient’s inbox. E-mail more than 6 months old was assumed abandoned.
As technology advanced, more and more people began storing e-mail on cloud servers indefinitely. And Congress has so far been unwilling to change course, despite the Fourth Amendment implications as data storage in the cloud has grown.
the connection from your email provider; your actual email messages; and your stored, cached, or archived email messages.
# Notice: if you would like to crawl Facebook you can # contact us here: www.facebook.com... # to apply for white listing. Our general terms are available # at www.facebook.com...
Originally posted by elouina
Right now I really need to switch to using entirely my own email server. That's the optimal way of doing things if you have one. I use that but still use my grandfathered free pop3 Hotmail. At least with my own server, I have total control over it and zero spam to boot. What's funny is that I could hand out secure email addresses galore to family and friends but never do. It's mine, all mine I say!
edit on 26-11-2012 by elouina because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by JBA2848
reply to post by JohnPhoenix
www.facebook.com...
# Notice: if you would like to crawl Facebook you can # contact us here: www.facebook.com... # to apply for white listing. Our general terms are available # at www.facebook.com...
You really think Facebook is protecting what you type to friends? And I have seen a DHS file on a Facebook account they had every thing ever typed on that account day to day.