Joe Barton: “I thank the chairman. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against…”

“I thank the chairman. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. My friends, that is the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, one of the original 10 in the Bill of Rights protecting, in writing, the privacy of the United States citizenry. I want to give Mr. Rogers and Mr. Ruppersberger an ``A'' for effort in terms of identifying the problem, but I have to give them an ``F'' for problem solution. The word ``privacy'' in the underlying bill is mentioned one time, and that in passing. There are no explicit protections for privacy. In fact, there is an explicit exemption of liability to all people who engage in the collection, dissemination, transfer, and sharing of information. The cause of action, if you feel your privacy has been violated, is to go to district court and prove there was willful and knowing sharing of your information without your permission. If you prevail in Federal district court, you get $1,000, or whatever it costs you. My friends, we have a real problem. I take the chairman at his word-- he's a former FBI agent--that he wants to solve this cyberthreat. I know he means it.…”