twomp
01-09-2014, 01:35 AM
Two California state senators have introduced a bill that would stop state agencies from assisting the National Security Agency to collect "any electronic data or metadata... not based on a warrant."
The California bill (PDF), proposed by state senators Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Joel Anderson (R-San Diego), is the first state-level proposal to compel non-cooperation with the federal agency, which has been in the spotlight since its widespread surveillance programs were revealed last summer.
"The National Security Agency’s massive level of spying and indiscriminate collecting of phone and electronic data on all Americans, including more than 38 million Californians, is a direct threat to our liberty and freedom," said Lieu, who introduced Senate Bill 828 on the first day of his state's 2014 legislative session.
In addition to stopping state agencies and officials from helping with warrantless surveillance, it would ban corporations that do business with the state from offering such assistance. That could leave the large telecom companies that provide the bulk metadata to the NSA in a legally difficult position: following orders from the federal Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court would put them in violation of state law.
In an interview with Computerworld published today, Lieu compared the bill to the Trust Act, which took effect in California on January 1 this year. That law prevents state and local law enforcement from complying with federal requests to hold immigrants accused of minor crimes, so they can be deported.
Lieu also noted that the NSA has no facilities in California but that his bill would prevent them from opening one in the future.
more here:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/01/how-should-states-fight-the-nsa-turn-off-the-water-say-some/
The California bill (PDF), proposed by state senators Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Joel Anderson (R-San Diego), is the first state-level proposal to compel non-cooperation with the federal agency, which has been in the spotlight since its widespread surveillance programs were revealed last summer.
"The National Security Agency’s massive level of spying and indiscriminate collecting of phone and electronic data on all Americans, including more than 38 million Californians, is a direct threat to our liberty and freedom," said Lieu, who introduced Senate Bill 828 on the first day of his state's 2014 legislative session.
In addition to stopping state agencies and officials from helping with warrantless surveillance, it would ban corporations that do business with the state from offering such assistance. That could leave the large telecom companies that provide the bulk metadata to the NSA in a legally difficult position: following orders from the federal Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court would put them in violation of state law.
In an interview with Computerworld published today, Lieu compared the bill to the Trust Act, which took effect in California on January 1 this year. That law prevents state and local law enforcement from complying with federal requests to hold immigrants accused of minor crimes, so they can be deported.
Lieu also noted that the NSA has no facilities in California but that his bill would prevent them from opening one in the future.
more here:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/01/how-should-states-fight-the-nsa-turn-off-the-water-say-some/