A sweeping new anti-terrorism bill drafted by the Justice Department would dramatically increase government electronic surveillance and data collection abilities, and impose the first-ever federal criminal penalties for using encryption in the U.S. . .
A sweeping new anti-terrorism bill drafted by the Justice Department would dramatically increase government electronic surveillance and data collection abilities, and impose the first-ever federal criminal penalties for using encryption in the U.S.

A draft of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 dated January 9th was obtained by the non-partisan Center for Public Integrity and released Friday. The 120-page proposal would further expand many of the surveillance powers Congress granted federal law enforcement in the USA-PATRIOT Act in 2001, while increasing the secrecy surrounding some government functions.

The Justice Department hasn't released the proposal publicly, nor has it been formally submitted to lawmakers, but a legislative "control sheet" attached to the bill [pdf] indicates that review copies were sent to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, and Vice President Richard Cheney last month. In a written statement Friday, a Justice Department spokesperson said it would be "premature to speculate on any future decisions, particularly ideas or proposals that are still being discussed at staff levels."

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