The FISA Reform that wasn't
Extending Section 702 Surveillance Authority is bad news
The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. —Thomas Paine
On Thursday, the House Passed the Annual Defense Bill, which included a bi-partisan extension to Section 702 of the FISA surveillance authority. Originally proposed as an 8-year extension, the final bill extends these post-9/11-era Orwellian powers through April 2024.
I recommend reading the EFF’s recent post, "The House Intelligence Committee's Surveillance 'Reform' Bill is a Farce". Reach out to your congress members to tell them how you feel about these often abused ubiquitous surveillance powers.
This is near and dear to my heart as someone who lived in Costa Rica for almost three years. Section 702 gives our government warrantless wiretapping powers for any communications my family has while communicating with non-US citizens around the globe. It’s an overreach that has never accomplished its goal of catching terrorists but has been misused time and time again for use as a backdoor on dragnet domestic surveillance. (What even is domestic surveillance in a globally connected world?)
Our rights to freedom of speech and privacy are natural rights that apply to all humans, not just US citizens. Arbitrary “us vs. them” distinctions on who can speak freely are nonstarters. Any government agency that violates these natural rights should be reformed.
Notable Links this Week
ReadySet recently crossed my radar; founder Alana Marzoev has a great talk she does on the challenges of caching.
What is the most famous 360 flip ever done? (my vote is Joslin at the Davis gap)