New "JUSTICE" Act Could Roll Back Telecom Immunity

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/09/18/1913248/New-JUSTICE-Act-Could-Roll-Back-Telecom-Immunity?from=rss

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/justice-act-would-roll-back-telecom-wiretap-immunity.ars

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/09/eff-supports-justice


"A group of Senate Democrats led by Russ Feingold (WI) and Dick Durbin (IL) have proposed the Judicious Use of Surveillance Tools in Counter-terrorism Efforts (JUSTICE) Act, a bill that would introduce stronger safeguards and higher standards of judicial oversight for surveillance activity. It aims to reform the most abusive characteristics of the PATRIOT Act and would also roll back a controversial provision of the FISA Amendment Act that granted telecom companies retroactive immunity for their participation in the Bush administration's extralegal warrantless surveillance program."


I'm wary of any Federal legislation, but this is backed by the ACLU and EFF so it would seem like it's a good thing. Still one must be careful of changes to the bill.

Summary (note it's written by the same people that want to pass it):
http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=317927

Full Text (103 pages):
http://www.eff.org/files/HEN09874.pdf