Surveillance law won't do enough to protect privacy

[Commentary] The Bush administration's widespread use of eavesdropping without a warrant angered civil libertarians when it was revealed in 2005 and sparked a clash with congressional Democrats, who since have tried to shore up the U.S. right to privacy. Finally, a compromise has been reached - but it does not do nearly enough to protect innocent Americans from fishing expeditions in the name of homeland security. The legislation also lets phone and Internet companies off the hook for assisting illegal snooping in the past. It would allow a federal district court to dismiss some 40 lawsuits filed over the release of customer data as long as the companies can document that government officials assured them the wiretapping was authorized by the president. That's about as thin a fig leaf as you can get. If the lawsuits are dismissed, Americans will never know the extent of the government's wrongdoing. And if the FISA update becomes law, future presidents will have little reason not to follow Bush's example.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/opinion/ci_9689064