The FBI greatly expanded data sharing requests under the controversial Section 215 of the Patriot Act when tech firms tried to resist the bureau\u2019s better-known National Security Letters. The requests may have blanketed millions of records.<\/p>\n
\n Section 215 allows the FBI to require business records and any
\n \u2018tangible things\u2019 for an authorized terrorism or clandestine
\n foreign intelligence investigation. A subject of hot debate since
\n the issuing of the act in the wake of the September 2001
\n terrorist attack, the provision was criticized for the possible
\n broad interpretation of its wording and the possible impact on
\n privacy.\n<\/p>\n
\n The provision came into spotlight recently, after it was revealed \n Such requests are similar to another controversial practice by \n The FBI dramatically increased the use of Section 215 requests \n The tenfold increase drew little public attention because the \n The expansion of Section 215 requests happened in response to \n \u201cBeginning in late 2009, certain electronic communications \n The NSLs themselves, which are issued by the FBI without any \n The issue of surveillance in the US was further fuelled by the \n Amid the unfolding scandal, some of the tech companies are
\n that the US government is involved in a massive domestic
\n surveillance program. The disclosure to FBI<\/a> of millions of customer
\n metadata records by Verizon, which was reported last week, was
\n done under a secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
\n (FISC) order issued in response to a Section 215 request.\n<\/p>\n
\n the FBI, the so-called national security letters (NSLs), which
\n was greatly expanded after the Patriot Act. Both types of
\n requests go with a \u2018gag order\u2019, which bars the targeted business
\n from disclosing to the public the fact that it was ordered to
\n share client data with the government.\n<\/p>\n
\n between 2009 and 2010, reports NBC. In 2009, the Justice
\n Department told Congress that there had been 21 applications for
\n business record under the provision, all of which were granted.
\n In 2010, the number of requests jumped to 205. The latest report
\n showed that in 2012, there had been 212 Section 215 requests \u2014
\n again all of them approved.\n<\/p>\n
\n number of NSLs issued by the bureau was much higher \u2014 15,229 in
\n 2012. But as the example of Verizon showed, a Section 215 request
\n may be used to obtain a broad array of records involving millions
\n of people. The order was later revealed to be part of a broad practice<\/a> of collecting communication
\n information stretching back at least seven years.\n<\/p>\n
\n tech companies\u2019 resistance to the use of NSLs by the bureau, FBI
\n Director Mueller wrote to the Congress back in 2009.\n<\/p>\n
\n service providers no longer honored NSLs to obtain\u201d<\/i> records
\n because of what their lawyers cited as \u201can ambiguity\u201d<\/i> in
\n the law. The FBI move to seek the same data under Section 215.
\n \u201cThis change accounts for a significant increase in the volume
\n of business records requests,\u201d<\/i> Mueller explained.\n<\/p>\n
\n court warrant, were ruled unconstitutional<\/a> by a federal judge in
\n March. The practice was deemed illegal because of the gag order,
\n which the judge said violates freedom of speech.\n<\/p>\n
\n revelation of a program<\/a> called PRISM, under
\n which the FBI and the NSA obtain access to data stored on central
\n servers of major communication companies. The data includes
\n photos, videos, emails, documents, audio files, and connection
\n logs, according to reports. PRISM was exposed by Edward Snowden<\/a>, a former CIA employee and private
\n contractor for the NSA, who leaked classified documents on the
\n surveillance to the press.\n<\/p>\n
\n seeking more transparency<\/a> over their
\n cooperation with the government agencies. The companies including
\n Microsoft, Facebook and Google want to mitigate the damage to
\n their public image by proving that the privacy of their clients
\n was not compromised as much as the media allege.\n<\/p>\n