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FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 - Continued

Floor Speech

By: Rand Paul
By: Rand Paul
Date: Dec. 27, 2012
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

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Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I rise today to support the Fourth Amendment Protection Act. The fourth amendment guarantees that people should be secure in their persons, houses, and papers against unreasonable searches and seizures. Somewhere along the way we became lazy and haphazard in our vigilance. We allowed Congress and the courts to diminish our fourth amendment protections, particularly when papers were held by third parties.

I think most Americans would be shocked to know that the fourth amendment does not protect their records if they are banking, Internet, or Visa records. A warrant is required to read their snail mail and to tap their phone, but no warrant is required to look at their e-mail, text, or Internet searches; they can be read without a warrant. Why is a phone call more deserving of privacy protection than an e-mail?

This amendment would restore the fourth amendment protections to third-party records, and I recommend a ``yes'' vote.

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