The 4th Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in
their persons, houses, papers, and
effects, against unreasonable searches
and seizures, shall not be violated, and
no Warrants shall issue, but upon
probable cause, supported by Oath or
affirmation, and particularly describing
the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized
What’s all this then?
“… later we extended privacy
protections to new modes of
communications such as the
telephone, the computer, and
eventually email.”
Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights
Intended to protect the people’s basic
right to privacy.
 Serves as a guide to developing future
legislation regarding online privacy.
 Also intended to keep the legal jargon of
the legislation clear and relatively easy
to understand.

Ease of Readability
Sec 217 Interception of PC
Tresspasser Communications
(1) in section 2510—
(A) in paragraph (18), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end;
(B) in paragraph (19), by striking the period and
inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (19) the following:
‘‘(20) ‘protected computer’ has the meaning set forth in
section 1030; and
‘‘(21) ‘computer trespasser’—
‘‘(A) means a person who accesses a protected computer
without authorization and thus has no reasonable expectation of privacy in
any communication transmitted to,
through, or from the protected computer; and
‘‘(B) does not include a person known by the owner
or operator of the protected computer to have an existing
contractual relationship with the owner or operator of the
protected computer for access to all or part of the protected
computer.’’; …
The Short Version
The Long Version

Strengthening
America Providing Appropriate
Tools Required Intercept
Obstruct Terrorism
(The)
Uniting
(and)
(by)
(to)
(and)
(Act)
The “For Dummies” Version
National Security Letters
Abuse of Power

“… on over 700 occasions the FBI obtained
telephone toll billing records or subscriber
information from 3 telephone companies without
first issuing NSLs or grand jury subpoenas.
Instead the FBI issued so-called ‘exigent letters’
signed by FBI Headquarters Counterterrorism
Division personnel who were not authorized to
sign NSLs. In many instances there was no
pending investigation associated with the request
at the time the exigent letters were sent. In
addition … many were not issued in exigent
circumstances, and the FBI was unable to
determine which letters were sent in emergency
circumstances due to inadequate recordkeeping.”
What It Can and Can’t Do

“A national security letter cannot be used to
authorize eavesdropping or to read the
contents of e-mail. But it does permit
investigators to trace revealing paths through
the private affairs of a modern digital citizen.
The records it yields describe where a person
makes and spends money, with whom he lives
and lived before, how much he gambles, what
he buys online, what he pawns and borrows,
where he travels, how he invests, what he
searches for and reads on the Web, and who
telephones or e-mails him at home and at
work.”
Expat
Definition: A person who is voluntarily
absent from home or country
 In a sentence:
Daniel Flynn was an
American expat before the USA
PATRIOT Act.

Unintended Consequences

“It seems the new anti-terrorist rules are
having unintended effects. … I was born in
San Francisco in 1939, served my country
as an army officer from 1961 to 1963, have
been paying U.S. income taxes for 57
years, since 1952, have continually
maintained federal voting residence, and
hold a valid American passport. … [His
U.S. bank of 44 years] said that the new
anti-terrorism rules required them to close
our account because of our address
outside the U.S.”
The 3rd Commandment of
Computer Ethics

Thou Shalt Not Snoop Around In Other
People’s Computer Files

So, which sounds more ethical to you?
Presentation Resources
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http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/blogphotos
/Blog_National_Security_Letters.gif
http://theheretik.typepad.com/the_heretik/imag
es/the_patriot_act_for_dummies_061005.jpg
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2005/11/05/AR2005110501
366.html
http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/l/legal_j
argon.asp
http://www.inquisitr.com/wpcontent/2012/02/internet-privacy.jpg