Posted on 08/18/2003 7:58:14 AM PDT by Brian S
Beware of VICTORY Act, Privacy Group Warns By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Morning Editor August 18, 2003
(CNSNews.com) - A consumer watchdog group is sounding an alarm over legislation that hasn't even been introduced yet.
The National Consumer Coalition's Privacy Group recently read a draft copy of the VICTORY Act, which "has some chilling implications for consumer privacy," the group said.
VICTORY stands for Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations Act of 2003.
Attorney General John Ashcroft plans to promote both the VICTORY Act and the USA PATRIOT Act on his ten-day, 20-stop tour of America, which begins on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
According to the NCC's Privacy Group, the VICTORY legislation is "a grab-bag of enhanced police-state powers."
For example, the group says, one section of the bill gives the Attorney General the power to issue "administrative subpoenas" in investigations stemming from an extremely broad definition of "terrorism." (According to NCC, an "administrative subpoena" is like a search warrant automatically issued by the clerk of court, except there's no need to have a judge sign off on it.)
The NCC Privacy Group says that under the VICTORY Act, the Justice Department would have the power to subpoena consumer data from a business.
"Section 504 specifically mentions subpoenaing consumer records from telecommunication companies, Internet service providers, and financial service firms such as banks," the group said in a press release.
The NCC says other provisions of the bill would nullify consumer-business privacy contracts, by allowing companies to ignore privacy agreements with consumers and still be immune to civil litigation by customers.
The VICTORY Act supposedly will be subject to revision over the August recess, the NCC Privacy Group notes. The group says it will be watching closely when the VICTORY Act is introduced later this year.
See, this is what I'm talking about. I was perfectly civil to you in my message, but you have chosen to attack me. What's up with that? What's your problem?
Oh good! Now that you and I are best buds, certainly you'll be happy to answer this little minor issue: You wrote "You say a lot of evil things about our President. I think you need to be held accountable for running your mouth and making these insulting, outragous claims. Like President Bush said, you're either with us or against us. I can only presume you're an enemy of this nation."
Is it true that you believe that anyone who makes comments that you deem 'evil' or 'outrageous' or even 'insulting' about our President must be 'held accountable' as an 'enemy of this nation'?
How would you hold them accountable? Would you torture them? Hold them at Gitmo? Deport them? Tell me your exact plans for the 'enemies of the state'.
Now that we get along so great, I know you'll rush to answer this issue....
LOL! Can you honestly say you've never broken a law? If not, that makes you a criminal, right?
As for being a terrorist, have you ever engaged in a criminal act that endagers human life? If so, you're a terrorist in addition to a criminal.
Have you read the entire law, including all the references to other laws that are modified by changing words like "and", "or", etc....
Do I need to use the FBI tip line?
You can if you want to. Hell, I'm probably already keeping two full-time forklifters employed just to move my files around up there. Anything to help the economy, right?
You might even get a free Tom Ridge t-shirt or Homeland Security decoder ring out of the deal.
-Eric
About 10 hours or so.
No thanks, in advance.
No, she doesn't have it yet.
And NO! You MAY NOT consider me as a prospect. So go back to your empty apartment and your 17 cats.
And I bet you actually do, too.
I don't think castor oil cures someone of being a liberal disruptor. But we can try. T_C_L, open wide.... THERE'S a good girl.....
Not that fine a line. One of the differences is, John Wayne Gacy would give you the time of day.
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