[CTRL] FWD: Release: DOJ break-in request
-Caveat Lector- DOJ plan would give federal agents the power to break into your house WASHINGTON, DC -- A new proposal from the Department of Justice that would allow police to break into people's homes to disable computer security systems is a frightening violation of privacy that will turn law enforcement into law-breakers, the Libertarian Party charged today. "This is the Blair Witch Project of law enforcement tactics: It's simple, low-tech, and should scare the pants off every American," said Steve Dasbach, the party's national director. "By requesting the power to break into people's homes, federal law enforcement officials have essentially admitted that they want to act like criminals to catch criminals." Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it plans to send a request to Congress asking lawmakers for the power to secretly break into people's homes or offices to disable encryption software on personal computers. The proposal -- entitled the Cyberspace Electronic Security Act -- would allow judges to issue secret, "sealed" warrants for federal agents to enter private property, search computers, and install software to override encryption programs. Then, police could intercept computer communications without having to try to decode encrypted messages. DOJ officials said the proposal is needed to fight high-tech criminals, and is "consistent with constitutional principles." But Libertarians said that Americans -- who are already concerned about the growing power of the federal government -- don't want federal agents to add BE (Breaking Entering) to their law enforcement arsenal. "This is nothing more than a legal burglary tool," charged Dasbach. "The Department of Justice doesn't want to just pick the lock on your front door -- it wants to pick the lock on the Bill of Rights, and steal our Fourth Amendment protections." The major problem with the proposal, he said, is that it could make secret search warrants a common law enforcement tool. Normally, under the Fourth Amendment, the government must first obtain a court order from a judge (based on a finding of probable cause) before searching private property -- and must present that search warrant to the suspect. Only under the most rare circumstances is the government allowed to engage in covert searches. "Under this new proposal, a rare and little-used law enforcement tactic might become as common as computers," warned Dasbach. "This represents a huge expansion of narrowly defined exceptions to Fourth Amendment protections -- and represents a genuine danger to anyone who uses computers and encryption software." The DOJ proposal comes after the Clinton administration repeatedly failed to pass legislation to allow the federal government access to encrypted messages by giving law enforcement the "keys" to decode them. In fact, more than 250 members of Congress have co-sponsored legislation that would encourage the use of encryption, and would prohibit the federal government from mandating such encryption-busting "back doors" in software. "It's almost funny: Bureaucrats are thwarted in their efforts to spy on your encrypted e-mail, so, instead, they request the power to break into your house," said Dasbach. "We have to ask: Do they want to fight criminals -- or act like criminals?" Instead of proposing more ways to violate the civil liberties of Americans in order to catch criminals, the federal government should promise not to act like criminals in order to protect civil liberties, suggested Dasbach. "The cure for crime isn't more crime -- it's justice," he said. "And justice demands that the DOJ drop the so-called Cyberspace Electronic Security Act." Kathleen "No one can read our Constitution without concluding that the people who wrote it wanted their government severely limited; the words "no" and "not" employed in restraint of government power occur 24 times in the first seven articles of the Constitution and 22 more times in the Bill of Rights." - Edmund A. Opitz DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substancenot soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at:
[CTRL] (Fwd) Release: DOJ break-in request
-Caveat Lector- --- Forwarded Message Follows --- Date sent: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 13:29:17 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject:Release: DOJ break-in request To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Libertarian Party announcements list) Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- === NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 World Wide Web: http://www.lp.org/ === For release: August 24, 1999 === For additional information: George Getz, Press Secretary Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] === DOJ plan would give federal agents the power to break into your house WASHINGTON, DC -- A new proposal from the Department of Justice that would allow police to break into people's homes to disable computer security systems is a frightening violation of privacy that will turn law enforcement into law-breakers, the Libertarian Party charged today. "This is the Blair Witch Project of law enforcement tactics: It's simple, low-tech, and should scare the pants off every American," said Steve Dasbach, the party's national director. "By requesting the power to break into people's homes, federal law enforcement officials have essentially admitted that they want to act like criminals to catch criminals." Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it plans to send a request to Congress asking lawmakers for the power to secretly break into people's homes or offices to disable encryption software on personal computers. The proposal -- entitled the Cyberspace Electronic Security Act -- would allow judges to issue secret, "sealed" warrants for federal agents to enter private property, search computers, and install software to override encryption programs. Then, police could intercept computer communications without having to try to decode encrypted messages. DOJ officials said the proposal is needed to fight high-tech criminals, and is "consistent with constitutional principles." But Libertarians said that Americans -- who are already concerned about the growing power of the federal government -- don't want federal agents to add BE (Breaking Entering) to their law enforcement arsenal. "This is nothing more than a legal burglary tool," charged Dasbach. "The Department of Justice doesn't want to just pick the lock on your front door -- it wants to pick the lock on the Bill of Rights, and steal our Fourth Amendment protections." The major problem with the proposal, he said, is that it could make secret search warrants a common law enforcement tool. Normally, under the Fourth Amendment, the government must first obtain a court order from a judge (based on a finding of probable cause) before searching private property -- and must present that search warrant to the suspect. Only under the most rare circumstances is the government allowed to engage in covert searches. "Under this new proposal, a rare and little-used law enforcement tactic might become as common as computers," warned Dasbach. "This represents a huge expansion of narrowly defined exceptions to Fourth Amendment protections -- and represents a genuine danger to anyone who uses computers and encryption software." The DOJ proposal comes after the Clinton administration repeatedly failed to pass legislation to allow the federal government access to encrypted messages by giving law enforcement the "keys" to decode them. In fact, more than 250 members of Congress have co-sponsored legislation that would encourage the use of encryption, and would prohibit the federal government from mandating such encryption-busting "back doors" in software. "It's almost funny: Bureaucrats are thwarted in their efforts to spy on your encrypted e-mail, so, instead, they request the power to break into your house," said Dasbach. "We have to ask: Do they want to fight criminals -- or act like criminals?" Instead of proposing more ways to violate the civil liberties of Americans in order to catch criminals, the federal government should promise not to act like criminals in order to protect civil liberties, suggested Dasbach. "The cure for crime isn't more crime -- it's justice," he said. "And justice demands that the DOJ drop the so-called Cyberspace Electronic Security Act." -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBN8GuCtCSe1KnQG7RAQGz4wP/fhI5Jd5eX/MxlS3KtLfpYUlhT5k2z6Iq cNgCW40IGs3OwvMqSOGPPTNmcVyjh5jUQ17Crlr+wdewvCOIO49wuID+PclzggXg 2/IdsJenvRWv2AvgrujaE0YnTm3njRRuhsJr5LLt79BXHRXIkH7GDTYP+eu7BJOV 9j/k2f8GhfQ= =BuAp -END PGP SIGNATURE- The Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/ 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 voice: 202-333-0008
