Hints and tips:
...American tech companies are not even allowed to reveal when they have been ordered to hand over information by the secret FISA court, charged with homeland security....
...The bulk of the electronic data scooped up by the NSA comes from overseas and is based on separate legal authorities not touched by the USA Freedom Act — most notably Section 702 of the FISA (Foreign Intelligence...
...The figures do not include requests for information from the NSA which it received under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act....
...“We feel strongly that the government should lift the gag order and permit companies to disclose complete and accurate numbers regarding FISA requests and National Security Letters,” Apple said....
...other US law enforcement and national security agencies may be using provisions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and Patriot Act to obtain electronic data from third parties....
...… Similar questions have been raised about the Fisa courts, the secret tribunals that issue the warrants allowing the NSA to look at emails or phone records....
...To access conversations, the Fisa court had to issue a specific order....
...“If I am a German provider, and the NSA comes to me [to ask for data], then I can say: ‘why would I do that, I’m not allowed to and have no interest in doing so’,” said Klaus Landefeld, board member for...
...A coalition of 85 internet companies and organisations launched a grassroots internet campaign on Tuesday demanding more transparency about NSA activities and Fisa court orders and called on Congress to...
...♦ The FISA Amendment Act, passed in July 2008, granted retroactive immunity for telecoms companies which were working with the NSA and gave the government a four-year extension to its warrantless spying...
...“There would have been a conflict with any Fisa request made by the US government … it was totally unworkable.”...
...Google was the first to disclose the extent of US information requests made under other legal provisions, though its numbers have not included the FISA data....
...But last month, Mr Voss joined Mr Kelly to support a new “anti-Fisa” amendment – named after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that authorises the US to eavesdrop on foreign calls and emails....
...The legal motion marks the most forceful attempt yet by a US internet company to rebuff reports that it has been involved in widespread surveillance operations under an NSA programme known as Prism....
...The highly classified NSA and FBI programme was codenamed Prism and was established in 2007, the papers reported....
...Critics of the government surveillance activities say that special courts that issue national security warrants, known as Fisa courts after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, are little more than...
...Fifty-six per cent said they viewed the NSA’s access of telephone call records through secret orders as “acceptable”....
...The White House supports a measure passed by the Senate recently that would expand the powers of the NSA....
...Democrats and Republicans agree on the need to close a loophole that has hampered the NSA in making foreign intercepts. But they disagree on the level of oversight, and who should perform it....
...“The NSA was operating illegally and this 11th-hour ploy is clearly an effort to avoid judicial and congressional scrutiny,” said Anthony Romero, ACLU executive director....
...Mr Specter, who has been a fierce critic of the programme, questioned why the administration had not informed Congress last year about its attempts to bring the programme into line with FISA....
...The administration had previously argued that the FISA court process – which has traditionally had to approve NSA wiretapping – was too cumbersome to use effectively in the war on terror....
...did not want to ask Fisa for a warrant....
...warrants from a special court set up under Fisa....
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