The Senate Intelligence Committee have voted for a new secret bill that will allow the FBI unlimited surveillance powers over private user data, without the need for a warrant. The bill will allow U.S. security agencies to access a large range of digital data, without requesting permission from a court or the user. Senator Ron Wyden has slammed the bill as being undemocratic and Orwellian-like: “This bill takes a hatchet to important protections for Americans’ liberty. This bill would mean more government surveillance of Americans, less due process and less independent oversight of US intelligence agencies,” Wyden wrote on his blog after being defeated in a 14-1 vote by the 2017 Intelligence Authorization Act committee. Rt.com reports: “Worse, neither the intelligence agencies, nor the bill’s sponsors have shown any evidence that these changes would do anything to make Americans more secure. I plan to work with colleagues in both chambers to reverse these dangerous provisions.” The changes concern National Security Letters (NSLs) that are issued by the executive branch without authorization from a judge. They are sent out by FBI along with a gag order that prevents the recipient – usually a telephone company, internet provider, or bank – from disclosing [...]