Immunity demand for telecoms raises questions

0 Comments | USA TODAY, October, 2007

Anyone who has ever watched TV's Law & Order: SVU knows how easy it is for police to get the bad guys' LUDs -- "local usage details," better known as telephone calling records. They only need to get a prosecutor to sign a subpoena.

Eavesdropping on calls or reading e-mails is a bit tougher. A warrant must come from a judge, and stronger evidence is needed. Even so, it is an efficient process that serves law enforcement's needs while guarding against arbitrary intrusions into the privacy of innocent people.

But whether those protections still exist in national security cases is very much in doubt. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration has repeatedly bypassed the special court set up to preserve balance. Now, with Congress threatening to restore some...