Report: FBI manual brings privacy concerns

WASHINGTON, June 13 (UPI) -- U.S. FBI agents will have more leeway to push the limits of privacy in the new edition of their operating manual, a review of the document indicates.

Under the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, the nearly 14,000 agents will have greater latitude to search databases, rummage through household trash and use surveillance teams for information on people who attract government attention, The New York Times reported Monday.

The FBI recently briefed several privacy advocates about the changes, including Michael German, a former federal agent who now is a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union. He has argued it was unwise to ease restrictions on agents' power to use intrusive techniques, particularly if they lack a solid reason to suspect someone of wrongdoing.

"Claiming additional authorities to investigate people only further raises the potential for abuse," German said.

To support his argument, German noted complaints about the FBI's surveillance of domestic political advocacy groups and mosques. He referred to an inspector general's 2007 findings that the agency frequently misused national security letters that allowed agents to get information such as phone records without a court order.

Valerie Caproni, the FBI general counsel, told the Times the agency corrected problems with the national security letters, and said the bureau weighed the risks and benefits of each change.

"Every one of these has been carefully looked at and considered against the backdrop of why do the employees need to be able to do it, what are the possible risks and what are the controls," Caproni said, characterizing the changes as "more like fine-tuning than major changes."