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WYDEN WINS PROTECTION OF PRIVACY RIGHTS
IN INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION BILL
Senator placed a hold on the legislation
to force revision of provisions
that would have significantly affected Americans’ privacy
rights
November 17, 2005
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator
Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced that the FY2006 Intelligence
Authorization bill has been rewritten to address serious concerns
he expressed earlier this month about provisions that would have
compromised the privacy rights of American citizens, and that
he will remove the “hold” he placed on the legislation
earlier this month to force a debate on the provisions. This move
means that the legislation is likely to be passed by the full
Senate today.
Specifically, Wyden was successful
in amending the legislation to remove a provision that would have
permitted Pentagon intelligence officials — without disclosing
their government affiliation — to conduct covert interviews
of U.S. persons on American soil to assess them as potential intelligence
sources. Wyden also succeeded in modifying a provision in the
legislation that would permit the intelligence community to request
individuals’ personal information from other government
agencies. The modifications would prevent abuse of the new provision
and ensure intelligence community accountability to Congress.
“The Department of Defense
should not be in the business of spying on law-abiding Americans,
period,” said Wyden. “When Congress steamrolls privacy
rights in the name of national security, it’s the American
people who lose. This important legislation now strikes a much
fairer balance by protecting critical rights for our country’s
citizens and advancing intelligence operations to meet our security
needs.”
The original version of the legislation would have permitted military
intelligence officials to conduct covert interviews of American
citizens within the U.S. without disclosing that the officials
worked for the government. Wyden’s revision maintains the
current requirement that they disclose this information when interviewing
law-abiding citizens.
Before Wyden’s modifications, the legislation would also
have permitted intelligence agencies to request information from
other government agencies by making a written request to those
agencies and asserting that the information was relevant to terrorism
or weapons of mass destruction. After Wyden’s changes, the
legislation now requires intelligence agencies to prepare a justification
of why the information is relevant, beyond simply stating that
it is. Under the revised provision, this prepared justification
must be furnished to Congress, the head of the agency receiving
the request, and the Inspectors General of relevant agencies upon
request, to ensure better oversight and accountability.
During Intelligence Committee consideration of the legislation,
Wyden, a member of the Committee, expressed his strong opposition
to both of these provisions, and announced his intent to seek
these changes. Earlier this month, he announced his intention
to object to any attempt to pass the legislation by unanimous
consent unless the changes he sought were made.
As a matter of policy, Wyden publicly
announces any formal objection he lodges with regard to nominees
or legislation, and does so with a formal statement in the Congressional
Record. He placed such a statement in the record on November 9,
and it can be found at
http://wyden.senate.gov/media/speeches/2005/11092005_amend_intel_bill.html.
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