Speech Made from House Floor on April 27, 2012

Mr. Speaker:

Under the Fourth Amendment, if the Government wants to snoop through a person's email, it must first convince a judge that there is probable cause to believe that person has committed a crime and it must specify the documents it believes are relevant to that charge.

Yesterday the House passed a measure that makes a mockery of this cherished protection.

Under the guise of cyber-security it allows the government to pressure and cajole Internet providers to turn over their subscribers' data and for the government then to use that data -without the consent or even knowledge of the individuals affected - for a wide variety of vague purposes unrelated to cyber-security - all without warrant.