Broadly Backed Letter Asks Obama, Congress to End NSA Bulk Collection Program
Bulk collection practices of communications metadata authorized by the USA Patriot Act, specifically under Section 215 authority, must end, said a letter to President Barack Obama, House and Senate leaders and intelligence officials Wednesday from the Reform Government Surveillance coalition,…
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privacy and human rights groups, technology companies and associations. The signers acknowledged they have differing views on exactly what reforms must be included in any bill reauthorizing Section 215, which is the legal basis for NSA bulk collection program, and is set to expire on June 1. "Our broad, diverse, and bipartisan coalition believes that the status quo is untenable and that it is urgent that Congress move forward with reform,” the letter said. The groups agreed that bulk collection must end and for any collection that does occur, there should be “appropriate safeguards in place to protect privacy and users’ rights,” and collection should “contain transparency and accountability mechanisms for both government and company reporting, as well as an appropriate declassification regime for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court decisions,” the letter said. Signers included the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Democracy & Technology, Committee to Protect Journalists, Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Google, Human Rights Watch, Internet Association, Microsoft, Mozilla, Public Knowledge, R Street, TechFreedom and the Wikimedia Foundation. “We understand that governments play a vital role in helping protect our communities, but we must do so in a way that protects the values we cherish,” wrote Microsoft Vice President-U.S. Government Affairs Fred Humphries in a blog post Wednesday. Two years ago, Americans learned the extent of NSA dragnet surveillance, and “the time has come for this program to end,” said CCIA President Ed Black. There's no better opportunity than the expiration of the Patriot Act’s bulk collection authorities to “institute the reforms necessary to restore the balance and limitations within which Congress and the public intended for our intelligence apparatus to operate,” Black said. “We have a responsibility to protect the privacy and security of our users’ data,” while helping governments keep people safe, wrote Google Chief Legal Officer David Drummond in a blog post Wednesday. “We have little doubt that Congress can protect both national security and privacy while taking a significant, concrete step toward restoring trust in the Internet.”