ALA Applauds National Security Letters Reform Act
From ALA's District Dispatch:
Today, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that will provide crucial checks against the National Security Letters (NSLs) authority expanded under the USA PATRIOT Act, which has impacted numerous library patrons across the country. . .. . . The National Security Letters Reform Act of would address many of the abuses disclosed by the Justice Department’s Inspector General in an internal FBI audit from March 2007. Specifically, the bill would:
• Give an NSL recipient the right to challenge the letter and its nondisclosure requirement;
• Place a time limit on the NSL gag order and allow for court approved extensions;
• Give notice to the target of an NSL if the government seeks to use the records obtained from the NSL in a subsequent proceeding; and
• Give the target an opportunity to receive legal counsel and challenge the use of those records.