Gosh, weren't we just talking about the suspension of requirement for warrants in cases of `national security'? Below the FBI is posturing to get access to credit records of `spies and terrorists' by writing only a letter instead of the currently required warrant. The FBI really scares me with the nonchalance and finesse with which they keep introducing these unpleasant bills into Congress. ===cut=here=== From: kaplan@sol1.lrsm.upenn.edu (Peter Kaplan -Yodh) Newsgroups: alt.privacy Subject: ALERT. New law on FBI and Credit Records Keywords: Credit records, privacy, FBI, suspected "spies and terrorists." Message-ID: <136431@netnews.upenn.edu> Date: 17 Jul 93 16:42:33 GMT Sender: news@netnews.upenn.edu Followup-To: alt.privacy Organization: /etc/organization Lines: 14 Nntp-Posting-Host: sol1.lrsm.upenn.edu On page 7 of today's New York Times (_Saturday_, July 17) there is a short article about the nation's inflated intelligence budget. Buried in the article are two paragraphs describing another section of the intelligence funding bill. Tacked onto the bill is a provision to allow the FBI to access the credit records of suspected "spies and terrorists" by writing a letter rather than getting a search warrant or other court order. Your credit card bills and mortgage payments are rapidly becoming police information. - - --Peter (kaplan@sol1.lrsm.upenn.edu)