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Leahy scuttles his warrantless e-mail surveillance bill
After public criticism of proposal that lets government agencies warrantlessly access Americans' e-mail, Sen. Patrick Leahy says he will "not support" such an idea at next week's vote.
by Declan McCullagh November 20, 2012 12:35 PM PST
Sen. Patrick Leahy has abandoned his controversial proposal that would grant government agencies more surveillance power -- including warrantless access to Americans' e-mail accounts -- than they possess under current law. The Vermont Democrat said today on Twitter that he would "not support such an exception" for warrantless access. The remarks came a few hours after a CNET article was published this morning that disclosed the existence of the measure.
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Well, there you have it: a great illustration of the massive feedback loop which is the Internet. The Senator, of course, might have been floating a trial balloon, but I was surprised that Cnet got to report an about-face so quickly.
Bill