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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Government Surveillance (HBO)

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    Our main story tonight
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    is government surveillance.
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    And I realize most people
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    would rather have a conversation
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    about literally any other topic.
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    Including: 'Is my smartphone
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    giving me cancer?
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    To which the answer is: probably.
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    Or: Do goldfish suffer from depression?
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    To which the answer is:
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    Yes, but very briefly.
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    But the fact is, it is vital that we
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    have a discussion about this now.
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    Because an important date is just around the corner.
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    "One big day to circle on the calendar,
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    when it comes to a very controversial subject.
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    The re-authorization of the Patriot Act,
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    and all of the controversial
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    provisions therein.
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    June 1 they've got to come to an agreement
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    to re-authorize or curttail those programs.
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    Yes. Some controversial provisions within
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    the Patriot Act are to expire on June 1.
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    So circle that date
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    on your calendars, everyone.
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    And while you're at it:
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    Circle June 2 as well.
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    Because that's Justin Long's birthday.
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    You all forgot last year...
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    and he f*cking noticed.
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    Now, over the last couple of years,
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    you've probably heard a lot about
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    strange-sounding programs. Such as:
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    X-Keyscore, Muscular, Prism, and Mystic.
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    Which are, coincidentally, also the names
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    of some of Florida's least popular
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    stripclubs.
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    "Welcome to X-Keyscore!
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    Our dancers are fully un-redacted
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    and Tuesday is wing-night!"
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    But if you don't mind, I would like to
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    refresh your memory over some of this.
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    And let's start our focussing on the most
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    controversial portion of the Patriot Act,
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    that is up for renewal. Section 215.
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    Which, I'm aware, sounds like the name
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    of an Eastern European boy-band.
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    "We are Section 215.
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    Prepare to have your hearts...
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    throbbed."
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    There's the cute one, the bad-boy,
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    the one who strangled a potato-farmer,
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    and the one without an eye-deficiency.
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    They're incredible.
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    But the contentst of the real Section 215
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    is actually even more sinister.
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    It's called Section 215.
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    Nicknamed: the library records provision.
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    Which allows the Government to require
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    businesses to hand over records of any
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    "any tangible things"
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    including: books, records, documents,
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    and other items.
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    If that sounds broad, that's because
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    it was very much written that way.
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    Section 215 says the Government can ask
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    for "any tangible things" so long as it's
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    "for an investigation to protect
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    against international terrorism".
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    Which is basically a blank cheque.
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    It's letting a teenager borrow the car,
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    under the strict condition that they
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    only use it for 'car-related activities'.
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    "Okay, mom and dad, I'm gonna use this
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    for a hand-job in the Wendy's parking lot,
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    but that is car-related,
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    so I think I'm covered."
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    Section 215 is overseen
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    by a secret intelligence-court,
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    known as the Pfizer-court.
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    And they've interpreted it to mean
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    the Government could basically
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    collect and store phone-records for
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    every American.
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    The vast majority of whom, of course, have
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    no connection to terrorism.
Title:
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Government Surveillance (HBO)
Description:

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Video Language:
English
Team:
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Duration:
33:15

English subtitles

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