VOA慢速英语2016 科技公司和隐私权团体将再次对抗联邦调查局

AS IT IS 2016-06-17 Tech Companies, Privacy Rights Groups to Fight FBI Again 科技公司和隐私权团体将再次对抗联邦调查局

Technology companies and rights groups are preparing to fight the Federal Bureau of Investigation¹ again over privacy rights.

科技公司和人权组织正准备就隐私权问题与联邦调查局抗争。

The federal government and technology companies have argued many times about the meaning of the Fourth Amendment² to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment says, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable³ searches and seizures⁴, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause…”

联邦政府和科技公司已经就美国宪法第四修正案的意义进行了多次争论。该修正案的内容是，“除依照合理根据外，人民的人身、住宅、文件和财产不受无理搜查和扣押的权利，不得侵犯……”

U.S. Supreme⁵ Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who died in 1941, called privacy “the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by a free people.”

于1941年去世的前美国最高法院大法官路易斯·布兰代斯把隐私权称为“权利的集大成者，也是一个自由人最宝贵的权利”。

The latest dispute about privacy is about the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, or ECPA. That law took effect 30 years ago.It limits the government’s access to electronic communications and other information.

最近一次关于隐私权的争论是关于《电子通信隐私法案》（ECPA）的。该法案30年前开始实施。它限制了政府取得电子通信和其他信息的途径。

Since the act was passed in 1986, there have been many changes in technology. The act is now considered outdated⁶ by many people.

该法案是在1986年通过的，在这期间技术已经有过很多改变。很多人认为现在这个法案已经过时了。

Congress has been considering ways to change the law to protect the privacy of people when they use the internet. At the same time, Congress wants to give government agencies the power they need to enforce laws and protect the public.

国会已经考虑了很多方法修改法律，从而保护人们使用互联网时的隐私权。同时，国会也给了政府机构强制执行法律并保护公众的权力。

Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee began considering an amendment to the ECPA. It would expand the government’s ability to collect electronic information. The amendment would permit the government to use a National Security Letter, or NSL. When the government uses an NSL it does not need an order from a judge.

参议院司法委员会上周开始构思ECPA的一项修正案。它将会扩大政府收集电子信息的权力。该修正案将允许政府使用国家安全密函（NSL）。政府使用了NSL，就不需要法官的命令了。

The amendment would let the FBI demand a person’s internet search history and internet protocol⁷ address. This would permit the agency to see what websites a person visits and how much time is spent on a site as well as where the internet user is. The agency would not need to get the approval of a judge before getting this information.

这项修正案将使联邦调查局能够强制索取某人的互联网搜索历史和IP地址。联邦调查局将能够看到某人浏览了哪些网页、在某个网页上停留了多长时间，甚至是这位用户在哪里。在得到这些信息之前，联邦调查局将不需要得到法官的许可。

The FBI says the ECPA permits the agency to request such information although it only refers directly to telephone records. FBI Director James Comey has said the amendment is needed to clear up any confusion about what information the agency can gather without a judge’s permission. He says the agency’s work has been slowed in “a very, very big and practical way.”

虽然只与电话记录直接相关，但是联邦调查局称获取这样的信息还需要得到ECPA的批准。联邦调查局局长詹姆斯·康梅说修正案是很必要的，这样就可以厘清在没有法官许可的情况下，他们能够收集哪些信息。他说联调局的工作“很大程度上被实践”拖慢了。

But large technology companies and civil liberties groups wrote to Congress recently opposing the amendment.

但是大的科技公司和公民自由团体最近给国会写信，反对这项修正案。

They said the amendment “would dramatically expand the ability of the FBI to get sensitive information about users’ online activities without court oversight⁸.”

他们说修正案“将会大大扩充联邦调查局在没有法庭监督的情况下获取用户网上活动敏感信息的能力”。

Representatives of Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union and others groups signed the letter.

来自雅虎、谷歌、脸书、人权观察、美国公民自由联盟和其他团体的代表联名签署了这封信。

These organizations are sharply critical of governments’ use of National Security Letters. The letters often ban companies from telling users that their information is being gathered. The organizations believe that the letters give too much power to the government. They also make it difficult to predict what the government may ask for next.

这些团体尖锐地批评了政府对国家安全密函的滥用。这些密函禁止公司通知用户他们的信息被收集了。这些团体认为密函赋予了政府太多权力。这也使得预测政府下一步要求什么变得很难。

Comey has said the amendment is the agency’s top legislative⁹ goal.

康梅说这项修正案是联邦调查局的最高立法目标。

Words in This Story

comprehensive – adj. including many, most or all things

internet protocol address – n. the letters, numbers and symbols that are used to show the location of a site on the Internet

access – n. permission or the right to enter, get near, or make use of something or to have contact with someone (usually + to)

oversight – n. the act or job of directing work that is being done

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

3 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

4 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

7 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

8 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

9 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。