Congress enacts comprehensive travel surveillance law

Congress enacts comprehensive travel surveillance law.

This
Tuesday, 7 December 2004, as its final act before adjourning until
after newly-elected members take office in January, the lame-duck
Congress of the USA gave final approval for
the creation of a comprehensive system of government credentialling,
tracking, and control of domestic and international travellers, as part
of the so-called “Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of
2004”.

I've written previously about some of the proposals
that preceded enactment of this legislation. But despite talk of
“compromise” between the House and Senate, the amended bill as finally
approved, and as expected to be signed into law by President Bush with
a few days, includes provisions for travel surveillance far worse than
those in any of the versions originally introduced months ago in Congress.

The conference committee report giving the final text of the bill,
and revealing for the first time some of the most objectionable
last-minute additions and amendments, wasn't published by the House and Senate
(you can download the same document from either) until 7 December 2004,
the date of the final Congressional votes, precluding any meaningful
public (or even Congressional) scrutiny or input.  [The Practical Nomad] [Privacy Digest: Privacy News (Civil Rights, Encryption, Free Speech, Cryptography)]

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