Wednesday 12 February 2003

Uncle Sam reinstates big brother

Attorney General John Ashcroft wants even more power to snoop on the Internet, spy on private conversations and install secret microphones, spy-ware and keystroke loggers.

Ashcroft's Justice Department has quietly crafted a whopping 120-page proposal that represents the boldest attack yet on our electronic privacy in the name of thwarting future terrorist attacks. The non-partisan Centre for Public Integrity posted the draft legislation, which reads like J. Edgar Hoover's wish list, on its Web site Friday.

Called the Domestic Security Enhancement Act (DSEA), the legislation has not been formally introduced in Congress, and a representative for Ashcroft indicated on Friday that it's a work in progress. But the fact that the legislation is under consideration already, before we know the effects of its USA Patriot Act predecessor, should make us realise that the Bush administration thinks "homeland security" is the root password to the Constitution.

Don't believe me? Keep reading and peruse some of DSEA's highlights:

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