Re: A lengthy preliminary analysis of the Leahy bill.

[Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li>]

On Mon, 11 Mar 1996 jamesd@echeque.com wrote:

> At 12:26 PM 3/11/96 -0500, Peter D. Junger wrote:
> >     (4) the authority and ability of investigative and law enforcement
> >     officers to access and decipher, in a timely manner and as provided
> >     by law, wire and electronic communications necessary to provide for
> >     public safety and national security should also be preserved;
> 
> 
> This provision of the bill makes the entire bill a worthless 
> pile of repressive shit, despite all the pious good intentions
> in the rest of the bill.

Careful here.  Note exactly what the bill says:

wire and electronic communications necessary to provide for
public safety and national security should also be preserved;

SHOULD ALSO be preserved.

Typically this means that it's not going to be funded by this bill, and 
that this is just a bit of extra hint as to legislative intent.

I will grant you that it's not a nice bit, but it could easily have said 
"WILL be preserved."

Note this clause also does not assign the authority to any agency, or 
suggest how it might be accomplished.  It's a good indicator of where 
things are going, but in itself, it implements nothing.

(Disclaimer: I haven't read the entire bill yet).

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