ALERT. New law on FBI and Credit Records

[Peter Kaplan -Yodh <kaplan@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)