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View Full Version : House Committee Approves Bill Mandating That Internet Companies Spy on Their Users




Mach
08-02-2011, 04:13 AM
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/07/house-committee-approves-bill-mandating-internet


Despite serious privacy concerns being voiced by both Democratic and Republican leaders and by thousands of digital rights activists using EFF's Action Center, this afternoon the House Judiciary Committee voted 19 to 10 to recommend passage of H.R. 1981. That bill contains a mandatory data retention provision that would require your Internet service providers to retain 12 months' worth of personal information that could be used to identify what web sites you visit and what content you post online. EFF had previously joined with 29 other civil liberties and consumer privacy groups in signing a letter to the Committee members that condemned the bill as a "direct assault on the privacy of Internet users."


http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20084939-281/house-panel-approves-broadened-isp-snooping-bill/


To make it politically difficult to oppose, proponents of the data retention requirements dubbed the bill the Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011, even though the mandatory logs would be accessible to police investigating any crime and perhaps attorneys litigating civil disputes in divorce, insurance fraud, and other cases as well.

"The bill is mislabeled," said Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the panel. "This is not protecting children from Internet pornography. It's creating a database for everybody in this country for a lot of other purposes."

Supporters of the measure characterized it as something that would aid law enforcement in investigating Internet crimes. Not enacting it "would keep our law enforcement officials in the dark ages," said its primary sponsor, House Judiciary chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas).

"Both Democratic and Republican administrations have called for data retention for over a decade," said Smith, who noted that groups including the National Sheriffs' Association, the Major County Sheriffs' Association, and the Fraternal Order of Police have endorsed the concept.



http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR01981:@@@P

Sponsor: Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] (introduced 5/25/2011)

COSPONSORS(25), ALPHABETICAL

Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] - 7/15/2011
Rep Chabot, Steve [OH-1] - 7/11/2011
Rep Coble, Howard [NC-6] - 7/11/2011
Rep Critz, Mark S. [PA-12] - 7/11/2011
Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [FL-19] - 7/11/2011
Rep Emerson, Jo Ann [MO-8] - 7/12/2011
Rep Flores, Bill [TX-17] - 7/6/2011
Rep Forbes, J. Randy [VA-4] - 7/6/2011
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] - 7/11/2011
Rep Gallegly, Elton [CA-24] - 7/11/2011
Rep Gowdy, Trey [SC-4] - 7/11/2011
Rep Griffin, Tim [AR-2] - 7/29/2011
Rep Jackson Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 7/19/2011
Rep LaTourette, Steven C. [OH-14] - 7/12/2011
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] - 7/12/2011
Rep Lungren, Daniel E. [CA-3] - 7/11/2011
Rep Marino, Tom [PA-10] - 7/12/2011
Rep Pierluisi, Pedro R. [PR] - 7/25/2011
Rep Quigley, Mike [IL-5] - 7/12/2011
Rep Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch [MD-2] - 6/15/2011
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29] - 7/15/2011
Rep Shuler, Heath [NC-11] - 7/11/2011
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 7/25/2011
Rep Upton, Fred [MI-6] - 7/12/2011
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] - 5/25/2011