Senate blocks allowing access to online data without warrant

Published June 22, 2016

In this photo taken Feb. 17, 2016, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, center speaks via video conference to people in the Johns Hopkins University auditorium in Baltimore. The Senate on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, blocked an expansion of the government's power to investigate suspected terrorists, a victory for civil libertarians and privacy advocates emboldened after a National Security Agency contractor's revelations forced changes in how the communications of Americans are monitored. (AP Photo/Juliet Linderman) (The Associated Press)

The Senate has blocked efforts to expand the government's power to investigate suspected terrorists by allowing the FBI to obtain a person's digital fingerprints without first securing a judge's permission.

The 58-38 vote on Wednesday was two short of the 60 necessary to move ahead on the measure. The came 10 days after the massacre at an Orlando nightclub.

It was a victory for civil libertarians and privacy advocates, who complained that the measure would give law enforcement direct access to email and text message logs, internet browsing histories and other online data.

Senior Republican senators who drafted the measure said FBI Director James Comey requested the authority to better arm the agency against foreign terrorist groups.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/senate-blocks-allowing-access-to-online-data-without-warrant