us: Senate Backs Wiretap Bill to Shield Phone Companies

More than two and a half years after the disclosure of President’s Bush’s domestic eavesdropping program set off a furious national debate, the Senate gave final approval on Wednesday afternoon to broadening the government’s spy powers and providing legal immunity for the phone companies that took part in the wiretapping program.The plan, approved by a vote of 69 to 28, marked one of Mr. Bush’s most hard-won legislative victories in a Democratic-led Congress where he has had little success of late. Both houses, controlled by Democrats, approved what amounted to the biggest restructuring of federal surveillance law in 30 years, giving the government more latitude to eavesdrop on targets abroad and at home who are suspected of links to terrorism.
http://nytimes.com/2008/07/10/washington/10fisa.htmlSenate keeps telecom immunity in surveillance bill [IDG]
The U.S. Senate has defeated three amendments that would have removed or weakened lawsuit immunity provisions for telecommunication carriers that allegedly participated in a controversial U.S. National Security Agency surveillance program dating back to 2001.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/070908-senate-keeps-telecom-immunity-in.htmlus: The new FISA compromise: it’s worse than you think
Last month, the House of Representatives passed the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, Congress’s latest response to President Bush’s demands for expanded eavesdropping authority. The Democratic leadership, seemingly intent on avoiding real debate on the proposal, scheduled the final vote just a day after the bill was introduced in the House. Touted by Democratic leaders as a “compromise,” it was supported almost unanimously by House Republicans and opposed by a majority of Democrats.
http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/fisa-compromise.ars

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