The Justice Department is planning new policies that will allow the FBI to open investigations against individuals without having any clear basis for suspicion. Precise details of the plan remain unknown, but it has generated intense speculation and concern among civil rights advocates.
The Washington Post recently noted that the measure “would make it easier for state and local police to collect intelligence about Americans, share the sensitive data with federal agencies and retain it for at least 10 years.” The new rules would apply to any of 18,000 state and local police agencies that receive federal grants.
The administration is seeking to formalize the many assaults on civil liberties undertaken as part of the “war on terror” before a new president takes office. Unsurprisingly, the wholesale attack on basic rights has been achieved with no appreciable opposition from the Democratic Party.
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