No Telecom Immunity for Spying Networks

While President Bush has threatened to veto any bill that does not include retro-active immunity for telecom companies that have given the government personal information (without warrants), the House of Representatives recently passed a bill without immunity. Supporters of this move say it protects privacy and promotes accountanibility.

Surveillance Bill Passed Without Retro Telecom Immunity
Grant Gross, IDG News Service
PC World
March 14, 2008

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would re-authorize U.S. government antiterrorist surveillance programs but would not grant immunity from lawsuits to telecom providers that have participated with surveillance programs in the past. An amended version of the House bill, called the Restore Act, would require prior court approval of surveillance of U.S. residents talking to overseas suspects. The House passed the bill by a margin of less than 20 votes on Friday. The House vote on Friday puts it at odds with the Senate, which passed a surveillance extension bill with telecom immunity last month. House and Senate negotiators will now have to iron out the differences between the bills. President George Bush has called on Congress to re-authorize the surveillance program and give telecom providers retroactive immunity to lawsuits for participating in a U.S. National Security Agency program that conducted surveillance without court warrants. AT&T and other providers are facing several lawsuits for their role in the NSA program, and Bush has said he'll veto any bill that doesn't include telecom immunity....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080314/tc_pcworld/143482;_ylt=AvjvYziKjhXpXaYlzO7zIOOs0NUE

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