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Lawmakers Call For Registry Of Convicted Terrorists In New York State

MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- When it comes to tracking terrorists, how far should the government go?

As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, proposals on the state and federal level to modernize the nation's monitoring of terrorists include a new one announced Monday – calling for the state's first ever terrorist registry.

"We need to be smarter," said New York state Sen. Tom Croci (R-Sayville).

The same message is coming from a growing chorus of lawmakers when it comes to monitoring terrorists. They are proposing the first ever state registry of convicted terrorists – those released after serving prison time.

"You want that individual tracked," Croci said. "You want to know if he's living next door to you, like in San Bernardino -- building bombs and accumulating an arsenal."

The lawmakers are calling for a ramping up of tracking on social media, and also on the legislative landscape in Washington.

After U.S. House passage last week, calls have now mounted in the Senate for a new national strategy on deciphering, disrupting and decoding social media posts -- the recruiting tool of choice for ISIS.

"It includes checking the social media accounts of those abroad working to recruit terror members here in America, and checking the social media accounts of anyone applying for a visa to make sure they are not part of terrorist organization," said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

Schumer urged more cooperation from social media companies to not only remove ISIS content, but also report it to government agencies.

But what about private messages -- the kind exchanged by the San Bernardino terrorists? That question unleashes a debate over protection versus privacy.

"You can't just randomly monitor people," one New Yorker said. "I mean, we're still the United States."

"There has to be limits," another said. "You have to get a court order."

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) agreed that there must be limits.

"What you don't want to have happen is for the federal government to be monitoring a private conversation between two individuals who have no connection to terrorism," he said.

But he privacy debate is made even murkier by the advent of encrypted message apps.

"Basically, they're giving total privacy to terrorists," said U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.)

King is pressing for changes when there is a court order.

"The private sector; the companies – the IT companies -- have to allow the government to come in through those encrypted apps. There has to be a key. There has to be a back door," King said. They say they can't do it -- it would violate privacy. There is no absolute right to privacy."

King said the government needs to go beyond monitoring. He said ISIS has mastered social media, and the U.S. must beat them at their own game -- countering their message on the new battlefield of cyberspace.

The state terrorist registry could be debated soon. Some New York state lawmakers have called for an emergency session of state Legislature to consider a sweeping package of local measures.

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