The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday will examine proposed Justice Department guidelines that would give federal investigators new license to mine publicly available databases and monitor Web use. The changes, which come after a major FBI shakeup last week, have sparked . . .

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday will examine proposed Justice Department guidelines that would give federal investigators new license to mine publicly available databases and monitor Web use. The changes, which come after a major FBI shakeup last week, have sparked intense debate over the merits of expanding government surveillance powers as the country faces ongoing threats of terrorist attacks.

Backers paint the reforms as a long overdue end to restrictions that have hobbled investigators and denied them access to research tools that are available to anyone with an Internet connection. Intelligence failures in the FBI and CIA have come under the spotlight amid new questions about who knew what in advance of the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings, which left more than 3,000 people dead.

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