Bump from January 23:

We posted this yesterday, and now the mainsteam media has picked up on it:

People for the American Way is announcing a win for civil liberties with respect to the Total Information Awareness Program --via the Wyden Amendment which was successfully included in the Senate spending package. From their press release, received today:

"WASHINGTON - In a bold bipartisan move, the U.S. Senate today adopted an Amendment that could protect Americans from the broad reach of government data-mining efforts associated with the office of Total Information Awareness. The Amendment, proposed by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), conditions funding of some data-mining programs on actions by the executive branch to protect privacy and monitor the usage of personal information.

"With concerted, bipartisan effort, the Senate today has advanced a common-sense measure to protect the constitutional liberties of all Americans," said Ralph G. Neas, president of People For the American Way. "The House of Representatives should accept the Wyden Amendment in conference, and President Bush should promptly endorse this vital provision."