FBI: Yes, We Violated You

[kpete]

F.B.I. Made ‘Blanket’ Demands for Phone Records


By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: March 13, 2008

WASHINGTON — Senior officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation repeatedly approved the use of “blanket” records demands to justify the improper collection of thousands of phone records, according to officials briefed on the practice.

The bureau appears to have used the blanket records demands at least 11 times in 2006 alone as a quick way to clean up mistakes made over several years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to a letter provided to Congress by a lawyer for an F.B.I. agent who witnessed the missteps.

The F.B.I. has come under fire for its use of so-called national security letters to inappropriately gather records on Americans in terrorism investigations, but details have not previously been disclosed about its use of “blanket” warrants, a one-step operation used to justify the collection of hundreds of phone and e-mail records at a time.

................

By 2006, F.B.I. officials began learning that the bureau had issued thousands of “exigent” or emergency records demands to phone providers in situations where no life-threatening emergency existed, according to the account of Mr. Youssef, who worked with the phone companies in collecting records in terrorism investigations. In these situations, the F.B.I. had promised the private companies that the emergency records demands would be followed up with formal subpoenas or properly processed letters, but often, the follow-up material never came.


http://www.nytimes.com/us/13fbi.html?ex=1363060800&en=5bee4aabc4fe2421&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

more at:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5in8mqT-mHkoXd8NkW7aATFe4AzNQD8VCDIKG2

[Junkdrawer]

1. s/b "but steps were taken to prevent future REPORTS of privacy abuses"

"We fired all the whistle blowers and put the fear of God in the rest of our staff."

[spanone]

2. but steps were taken by the agency to prevent future privacy abuses - sure they were

spitzer is the beginning of a long year of 'outtings' by our 'justice' department imho

[Junkdrawer]

3. And for every 'outing', 100 politicians toe the line to keep a low profile....

That's how fascism works: there are no meetings where everyone is told what to do. The "correct" actions are obvious to all and random selections of people who color outside the line are severely punished.

[riderinthestorm]

4. Bullshit. There weren't any "missteps" here. nt

[Junkdrawer]

5. Kick

:kick:

[bdamomma]

6. kick