
Facebook has hired the Patriot Act's co-author as a general counsel - Jerry2
https://boingboing.net/2019/04/22/mass-surveillance-r-us.html
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javagram
“Jennifer Newstead helped craft the Patriot Act, a cowardly work of treasonous
legislation foisted on the American people in the wake of the 9/11 attacks;”

Source seems a little biased. Treasonous? That’s gotta require a lot of
cortortion around the definition of treason.

Patriot Act provisions have been repeatedly reauthorized by the democratically
elected legislature since it was originally passed. This isn’t a case of
foisting anything upon the people, the people are perfectly happy to vote in
supporters of the Patriot Act.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act#Reauthorizations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act#Reauthorizations)

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thundergolfer
It's well known that many members of congress passed through the act _without
having read it_. Given the enormity of the act's effects on the country, this
is quite a problematic thing.

I don't it was democracy that saw that bill through. It was crisis politics.
Democracy requires a well-informed public, and capable representatives. With
the USA PATRIOT act there was neither.

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foxyv
With the current state of campaign finance, congress is essentially two
corporations with congressmen/women as employees. If you don't vote the party
line or you don't secure funding for the party you get defunded on your next
election. Surprising they don't bother to read the bills they are told to
pass.

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canada_dry
A perfect fit really.

This guy figures it's ok to allow personal records like telephone, e-mail,
financial, and business records to be surreptitiously captured without full
due process/transparency.

Facebook would love to push the (no-)privacy envelope much further: a complete
data free-for-all for their commercial gain.

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Jerry2
It's unfortunate that mods decided sink this story. Any explanation as to why?

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tuxxy
What exactly... do they think is going to happen when news outlets hear this?

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joshmn
The 30 minute news cycle we've had for the last 3 years of course.

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isoskeles
Yeah unlike when the Patriot Act passed, and the news media spoke truth to
power or whatever, and saved us all from that treasonous law.

Apologies for the snark but it’s been like this for more than 20 years.

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thundergolfer
To add to your comment. _Manufacturing Consent_ came out in 1988, 31 years
ago. That book manfully built the case that this stuff has been going on for
well over a century, but that it really kicked up in the post WW2 era with the
erosion of labour-class news media.

Today 6 US media companies control 90% of US media, and any hope one has of
the internet disarming them dims more than a little at the sight of a
P.A.T.R.I.O.T act author crossing over into the arms of a tech giant.

