This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary will mark up H.R. 1981, a bill that would impose a broad data retention mandate on all U.S. commercial Internet service providers.

Today, a coalition of free market public interest groups submitted a letter to the committee voicing serious concerns regarding H.R. 1981. The coalition, which includes the Competitive Enterprise Institute, TechFreedom, and Americans for Tax Reform’s DigitalLiberty.net, warned that a broad data retention mandate would burden small businesses, hinder innovation, undermine cybersecurity, endanger free speech, harm Americans’ privacy and set a dangerous international precedent—all without appreciably advancing law enforcement objectives or benefiting criminal investigations.

Prince - Electric Chair (SNL 1989) (by tanasio14)

There is also a remix by William Orbit (producer of Madonna's Ray Of Light, among other things) which is the quintessence of early '90s house.

http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/snooping/?akid=1202.1845371.xYX-hP&rd=1&t=5

"A direct assault on Internet users" is what the ACLU is calling it.  A U.S. House committee has already approved HR 1981, a broad new Internet snooping bill.

And get this -- it's also authored by SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith. 

They want to force Internet service providers to keep track of and retain their customers' information -- including your name, address, phone number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and temporarily-assigned IP addresses.

The Internet blew away the insiders with our work against SOPA.  Let's do it again this time:

http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/snooping/?akid=1192.1584796.VoHIWw&rd=1&t=2

Please click the link to urge your lawmakers to oppose the snooping bill -- it's already passed through committee. 

The ACLU, EFF, Demand Progress, and 25 other civil liberties and privacy groups have expressed our opposition to this legislation.  Will you join us, by emailing your lawmakers today?  Just use the form at right. ISPs would collect and retain your data whether or not you're accused of a crime.  Supporters shamelessly dubbed it the "Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act," but our staunchest allies in Congress are calling it what it is: an all-encompassing Internet snooping bill.   Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California -- a SOPA hero who also led Democratic opposition to this bill -- said, "It represents a data bank of every digital act by every American [that would] let us find out where every single American visited Web sites."

Thanks,

Demand Progress

"A direct assault on Internet users" is what the ACLU is calling it.  A U.S. House committee has already approved HR 1981, a broad new Internet snooping bill. 

They want to force Internet service providers to keep track of and retain their customers' information -- including your name, address, phone number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and temporarily-assigned IP addresses.

And get this: It's authored by lead SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith.

The ACLU, EFF, Demand Progress, and 25 other civil liberties and privacy groups have expressed our opposition to this legislation.  Will you join us, by emailing your lawmakers today?  Just use the form at right. ISPs would collect and retain your data whether or not you're accused of a crime.  Supporters shamelessly dubbed it the "Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act," but our staunchest allies in Congress are calling it what it is: an all-encompassing Internet snooping bill.  Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, who led Democratic opposition to the bill said, "It represents a data bank of every digital act by every American [that would] let us find out where every single American visited Web sites."