Online Privacy Hearings See Conflicting Testimony And Recommendations (Search Engine Land)

No discussion of Congressional hearings on privacy would be compete without reference to the recently "updated" Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), versions of which were passed last week by both the US House and Senate. According to the AP, the bill "would allow the government to obtain broad, yearlong intercept orders from the FISA court that target foreign groups and people, raising the prospect that communications with innocent Americans would be swept up."

Under FISA virtually all communications, including all online activity and email, would be covertly accessible by the government with few checks and balances against abuse. So even as the government is critically examining the privacy policies and practices of search engines, portals and ad networks, it's granting the executive branch largely unchecked discretionary power to track and spy on Americans.

No discussion of Congressional hearings on privacy would be compete without reference to the recently "updated" Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), versions of which were passed last week by both the US House and Senate. According to the AP, the bill "would allow the government to obtain broad, yearlong intercept orders from the FISA court that target foreign groups and people, raising the prospect that communications with innocent Americans would be swept up."

Under FISA virtually all communications, including all online activity and email, would be covertly accessible by the government with few checks and balances against abuse. So even as the government is critically examining the privacy policies and practices of search engines, portals and ad networks, it's granting the executive branch largely unchecked discretionary power to track and spy on Americans.