FBI resists pressure on domestic spying data

Washington: The FBI is resisting legislation that would put more restrictions on domestic surveillance of Americans' private records, saying the agency already has tightened its rules to crack down on wrongful use of national security letters.

FBI general counsel Valerie E. Caproni told a House panel on Tuesday that the agency has responded to abuses outlined in internal reports by tightening the requirements for issuing national security letters.

National security letters, or NSLs, are investigative tools used to compel businesses to turn over customer information without a judge's order or grand jury subpoena.

She said the agency has improved training programmes on the use of NSLs and limited information that can be gathered from third parties - like phone companies and banks.

Disagreement

"In light of the FBI's tremendous progress in this regard, further legislative changes, including the measures envisioned by [Congress], would be neither necessary nor appropriate," Caproni said in testimony to the House subcommittee on the constitution.

Majority Democrats and some Republicans in Congress disagree. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate are pushing legislation that would limit the Federal Bureau of Investigation's ability to secretly collect reams of information on the bank, telephone, credit card and internet accounts of private Americans involved in terrorism investigations.

One key concern is Caproni's statement that new FBI policies amount to sufficient "checks and balances" against the secret letters violating people's civil liberties.