Military Snooped on Troops' Phone Sex

Companies asked to turn over info on 'community of interest'

(NEWSER) - US terror suspects are drawing friends and colleagues into the net, the New York Times reports. FBI docs show that probes have sought info on people who suspects call or email the most. Phone companies already keep such data on hand for marketing and fraud protection, one expert says. Such “analysis is extremely powerful and very revealing." More»

Legalizes tapping calls and emails in and out of US without warrant

(NEWSER) - President Bush signed into law yesterday measures significantly expanding the government's authority to eavesdrop on millions of phone calls and e-mails going in and out of the US without warrants. The law, passed by Congress after bruising battles, effectively legalizes secret surveillance being conducted by a controversial National Security Agency eavesdropping program, the New York Times reports. More»

Group of employees files lawsuit

(NEWSER) - A group of FDA scientists and doctors says that their personal emails were monitored by the agency after they acted as whistleblowers, and that the information gleaned from the surveillance led to their harassment or dismissal. The employees had complained internally, beginning in 2007, about approved or soon-to-be-approved cancer-screening devices that they believed posed risks to patients. Ultimately, they told Congress, the White House, and the Health and Human Services inspector general about their concerns, the Washington Post reports. More»

Terror arrests show that national security needs trump privacy worries

(NEWSER) - The arrests last week of Najibullah Zazi and other terror suspects should make lawmakers think twice about making intelligence-gathering more difficult for those trying to keep America safe from terrorist attacks, writes Michael Mukasey. Congressional Democrats are considering imposing new requirements on Patriot Act provisions when they come up for renewal later this year, Mukasey writes, but doing so has the potential to thwart terror investigations. More»

(NEWSER) - The Bush administration's warrantless wiretap program wasn't such a great anti-terror tool after all, says a new federal report. The wiretaps—on the international communication of Americans—"generally played a limited role" in counterterrorism efforts, despite the assertions of President Bush, Dick Cheney, and other top officials that they were essential, the New York Times reports. More»