(newrepublic.com)
While the country is facing a daily Covid-19 death toll in the thousands and the coronavirus outbreak snakes its way inside the executive branch, Congress is currently considering a vast expansion of the Justice Department’s power over online platforms and the people who use them. Should these measures pass, Americans’ web searching and browsing histories could be collected by the FBI without a warrant. But that’s just the preeminent concern. Should Congress grant the DOJ all the power it is seeking, users may also lose access to apps that use end-to-end encryption (like Signal and Facebook Messenger), and the kinds of content they can currently post online may find themselves subject to additional moderation and monitoring.
“Together, EARN It and Mitch McConnell’s Patriot Act amendments would give the most corrupt attorney general of our lifetime unprecedented ability to pry into everything Americans do and say online,” Wyden told The New Republic in a statement. “It would be an unconscionable mistake for Democrats to hand Donald Trump and Attorney General Barr these sprawling powers, especially during the Covid-19 crisis, when Americans are spending more and more time on our devices.”
A potential huge double blow to our freedoms while no one is paying attention.
UPDATE: The Senate has voted to allow the FBI to snoop on Americans' browsing history
There's a good chance that the US Congress will allow the FBI to secretly eavesdrop on our browsing data and break encryption