HR 4681 [1], the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, is a financial bill passed by the US House of Representatives in May 2014.  As an amendment to this bill, the essential provisions of the former SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) bills were sneakily inserted.  As you may remember, SOPA and PIPA were terribly broad and ill-conceived bills that were protested against because of their potentially negative effects on the Internet at large; in some cases, former supporters of the bills changed their minds after realizing what the bills could be used to accomplish.  Those bills were eventually voted down because of public outcry against the consequences to online privacy and freedom.  The amendment to HR 4681 allows federal agencies to request consumer information from ISPs (Internet Service Providers) without a warrant; it also allows warrantless wiretapping of such services as online gaming communications.  Broad authority over the Internet is also granted to the executive branch.  The overall ramification of HR 4681 is spying on American citizens without warrant by the US government.

HR 4681 was hurriedly passed through the House by an anonymous voice vote [2].  Unfortunately,  it was signed into law by President Obama on December 19th [3].  In question is section 309 of the bill, as summarized below:

(Sec. 309) Requires each element of the intelligence community to adopt Attorney General-approved procedures for any intelligence collection activity not otherwise authorized by court order or subpoena that is reasonably anticipated to result in the acquisition of nonpublic telephone or electronic communications to or from a U.S. person, including communications in electronic storage, without the consent of a person who is a party to the communication.

If you enjoy your online freedom and privacy, it is important for you to urge President Obama to revise or negate the necessary language in HR 4681 with an executive order.  Preferably, he should consult with members of the appropriate privacy advocacy organizations (e.g. the ACLU or EFF) to ensure that revisions or negations to the bill do not cause any further harm.

Sources:

1. https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4681
2. http://www.scmagazine.com/opponents-argue-act-expands-executive-branch-authority/article/388185/
3. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/12/19/statement-press-secretary-statement-press-secretary-hr-1068-hr-2754-hr-2

[H/T: Teri Robinson and David Pakman]