H.R. 5321/S. 2952, the Stopping Mass Hacking Act, would reverse a pending change to Rule 41 of the Federal Criminal Procedure code for search and seizure -- a change that would permit a federal judge to issue a warrant for federal agents to search computers outside their jurisdiction. The Justice Department -- which, as you might imagine, supports the change -- defends it in pretty much the manner you'd expect: they tell us the change would only apply in "narrow circumstances" (which, as we know, never widen in legislation or lawsuits!), and that it ensures a judge would issue a warrant for such investigations, as if that's a gift to us and not a right. We shouldn't be writing warrants that vacuum up data of folks against whom prosecutors can't even establish probable cause, because that's what the rule change would do. Congress has until December 1 to reject the rule change, through legislation, and the Stopping Mass Hacking Act (a very quick read) simply orders that the rule change "shall not take effect." Hence UTalk helps you tell your Congressfolk to support the Stopping Mass Hacking Act.
Meanwhile, if you've missed previous opportunities to tell Republican leadership to hold a vote on the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, then CREDO still helps you do that. Last I heard, Super Great and Awesome Real American President Mitch McConnell didn't want to hold a vote on this actually-bipartisan bill -- one that would actually ease up on tough-on-crime posturing at the federal level, and let judges do more judging than mandatory minimums and "war on drugs" insanity currently allow -- because he feared the wrath of Sens. Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton. If you fear those two hotheads, of course, you have no business being a leader of anything. But then, using Sens. Cruz and Cotton as a shield is probably just a way of opposing the bill without coming out and saying you oppose it, since doing so would be unpopular, as only rageheads want to throw everyone in jail forever anymore. Mr. Ryan, for his part, has spoken of the need not to step on the toes of his Committee heads. But last I looked, a Committee chair's ego isn't more important than a Congressperson's duty to do the will of his or her constituents.
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