NODE 15ce97c3more on FBI credit search access
""L. Detweiler"" <ld231782@longs.lance.colostate.edu>Wed, 21 Jul 93 16:20:58 PDT
Hm, maybe someone could just check out the article (Sat Jul 17 NYT p.
7). This is a distinctly different interpretation.
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From: Shari Steele <ssteele@eff.org>
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1993 09:17:28 -0400
Subject: New law on FBI and credit records
Hi Peter.
Your post in alt.privacy was forwarded to me. I don't know of any
legislation that will permit the FBI to obtain your credit report without a
search warrant. While it is possible that such legislation exists, what
you describe from the NY Times article sounds an awful lot like a proposed
amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) introduced
this year that would allow the FBI access to *telephone calling data* with
a letter (rather than a search warrant) certifying that the person was
being investigated for engaging in terrorism or international espionage, or
cohorting with such folks. The telephone calling data includes the names
and telephone numbers of all calls made from the phone number being
investigated, as well as the duration of the calls. While this in itself
may be cause for alarm, it is not the same as FBI access to credit
reporting information.
Shari
******************************************************************************
Shari Steele
Director of Legal Services
Electronic Frontier Foundation
1001 G Street, NW
Suite 950 East
Washington, DC 20001
202/347-5400 (voice), 202/393-5509 (fax)
ssteele@eff.org
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NODE 335a839aRe: more on FBI credit search access
Dave Banisar <cpsr@access.digex.net>Thu, 22 Jul 93 20:15:15 PDT
Sheri is unfortunally mistaken on this issue. There is a pending legislative
initiative to allow for easier access to credit records using a national
security letter, instead of a warrant. It was approved by the Senate
Intelligence Committee last week. This is different from HR175, the
initiative to allow for easier access to toll records that the house
approved a few months ago.
The ACLU, CPSR, PIRG and the US Privacy Council wrote a letter to Sen.
Deconcini opposing the provision last week that I will send up tomorrow
along with the text of the bill, if I can find it in time.
Dave