Government intrusion into the lives of American citizens is escalating under the Obama administration. The good news is the courts are starting to put a halt to some of these acts. The scope of these acts includes searching bank accounts, phone records, emails, internet searches, website activity, social media, laptops, phones, and other electronic devices. They are using any and all means necessary.
The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters.
From Capital Hill Blue…
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s use of “National Security Letters” to peek into the private lives of Americans has increased dramatically since Obama became President. In his first two years in office, the number of letters issued doubled;
Warrantless wiretaps have quadrupled during Obama’s presidency.
Recent court cases have rebuked these unconstitutional activities:
A federal judge has ruled that the FBI’s practice of issuing so-called national security letters to banks, phone companies and other businesses is unconstitutional, saying the secretive demands for customer data violate the First Amendment.
The Border Patrol cannot confiscate or download every laptop or electronic device brought into the U.S., a federal appeals court said, ruling that people have an expectation their data are private and that the government must have “reasonable suspicion” before it starts to snoop… In most cases, the government needs probable cause to conduct a search. Reasonable suspicion is a lower standard. But the Obama administration had argued it didn’t need any reason to search.
The CIA cannot refuse to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests about its program using remotely piloted drone aircraft to kill terror suspects now that officials have publicly acknowledged it, a federal appeals court ruled Friday… Friday’s ruling would also make it more difficult for the Obama administration to continue ducking questions about the program’s scope and legal basis, said Mr. Jaffer, who argued the case before the three-judge panel last September.
While balance is needed to secure the country, abuse and overreach is occurring more and more. As more of these violations of privacy occur, we can only hope the courts will continue to step up and protect the United States Citizens.
Links referenced in this article:
EXCLUSIVE – U.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans’ finances
Judge rules secret FBI letters unconstitutional
Government spying on Americans increased under Obama’s watch
Court curbs laptop searches at U.S. border
Photo Credit: Rainer Lippert