A Senate Democrat called for stronger limits on...
A Senate Democrat called for stronger limits on U.S. surveillance activities following revelations from leaked documents that the U.S. tracks the cellphone location information for millions of people abroad. The tracking program described in recent reports focuses on foreigners but…
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collects data from millions of Americans who travel abroad. “Secretly tracking millions of Americans raises urgent, serious legal questions -- never apparently presented to any court,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a statement Thursday, calling for immediate resolution “by Congress and the courts. These reports are additional powerful evidence that the system needs to be reformed, which must include more transparency and accountability enforced by a constitutional advocate.” Blumenthal has backed bills to that effect. The information came from documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, which The Washington Post reported online Wednesday (http://wapo.st/IIaYWp). The American Civil Liberties Union slammed the revelations in a statement from staff attorney Catherine Crump. She called the news “staggering” and labeled the activities “dragnet surveillance,” flouting “international privacy obligations” when the U.S. should be targeting its surveillance. The Center for Democracy & Technology also criticized the practices and pressed for congressional action. “It’s time for Congress to finally act to rein in NSA surveillance,” Senior Counsel Greg Nojeim said in a statement. “Passing the USA FREEDOM Act would be a strong step.” Blumenthal also backs that legislation.