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Tag: Adam Schiff

  • AG Wants to Strengthen Policies for Obtaining Lawmaker Data

    AG Wants to Strengthen Policies for Obtaining Lawmaker Data

    US Attorney General Merrick Garland wants to strengthen policies for obtaining lawmaker data and has vowed swift action regarding recent revelations.

    A furor broke out when it was discovered that Trump administration prosecutors subpoenaed Apple in 2017 and 2018 for communications data for House Intelligence Committee Democrats, specifically Chairman Adam Schiff and Congressman Eric Swalwell.

    The subpoena covered data for a least a dozen individuals, including aides, family members and one minor, according to CBS News. To make matters worse, Apple was served with a gag order, preventing them from revealing the subpoenas until May 2021.

    The fallout has been swift and severe, with multiple lawmakers calling for investigations and explanations behind Trump’s Justice Department actions. Current AG Garland has vowed swift action and has launched an investigation into what took place.

    As I stated during my confirmation hearing, political or other improper considerations must play no role in any investigative or prosecutorial decisions. These principles that have long been held as sacrosanct by the DOJ career workforce will be vigorously guarded on my watch, and any failure to live up to them will be met with strict accountability. There are important questions that must be resolved in connection with an effort by the department to obtain records related to Members of Congress and Congressional staff. I have accordingly directed that the matter be referred to the Inspector General and have full confidence that he will conduct a thorough and independent investigation. If at any time as the investigation proceeds action related to the matter in question is warranted, I will not hesitate to move swiftly.

    AG Garland has also ordered a review of policies and procedures to ensure any future action is done within the guidelines of the separation-of-powers principle.

    In addition, and while that review is pending, I have instructed the Deputy Attorney General, who is already working on surfacing potentially problematic matters deserving high level review, to evaluate and strengthen the department’s existing policies and procedures for obtaining records of the Legislative branch. Consistent with our commitment to the rule of law, we must ensure that full weight is accorded to separation-of-powers concerns moving forward.

  • Rep. Adam Schiff To Propose Pro-Privacy Amendment To CISPA

    This year’s CISPA is just like last year’s CISPA. That has some privacy groups concerned as the bill makes it easier for companies to share private information with the government while granting them immunity. To help address these concerns, one lawmaker will be introducing an amendment to CISPA next week.

    The Hill reports that Rep. Adam Schiff will be introducing a pro-privacy amendment during the House Intelligence Committee’s markup of CISPA. The amendment would make companies do their damnest to remove personally identifiable information from any data that they share with government.

    Beyond that, the amendment would also allow companies to use automated processes in removing personal information from data. The automated removal of information would serve two purposes – it would make the removal of information more accurate, and it would speed up the process to better counter cybersecurity threats.

    The amendment is a great first step to making sure CISPA protects privacy, but Schiff has indicated that he has yet to reach a consensus with the bill’s authors – Reps. Mike Rogers and Dutch Ruppersberger. Fortunately, Schiff says that the tech industry has yet to raise any objections to his amendment.

    Even with the support of industry, Schiff’s amendment may not make it into CISPA. What’s worse is that we won’t even know what actually happened until after the fact thanks to the committee holding the CISPA markup behind closed doors. Still, there’s a small sliver of hope resting on Schiff’s shoulders as the congressman said that he wouldn’t vote CISPA out of committee unless it had his amendment, or another suitable pro-privacy amendment, tacked on to it.

    Even with these proposed amendments, there’s always the chance that CISPA can worm its way through the House just like it did last year. After that, it will be up to the Senate and White House to make sure that it doesn’t go through without reasonable privacy protections.