Demand Progress and CREDO Mobile blast USA Freedom Act
So-called “reform” bill fails to stop mass surveillance and must be opposed
Media Contact: Mark Stanley, 202-681-7582
Email: press@demandprogress.org
Press reports indicate that, under pressure from the secretive intelligence agencies, legislation is being introduced today that fails to terminate mass surveillance programs, and instead reauthorizes section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.
We urge Congress to oppose this legislation, the USA Freedom Act, because it does not end mass surveillance programs, including ones operating under the FISA Amendments Act and Executive Order 12333. It also fails to secure other essential reforms, including real accountability for the NSA, addressing secret law, and strengthening meaningful oversight by Congress. The bill will only be weakened as it goes through the legislative process and will become a parody of its name.
A vote for a bill that does not end mass surveillance is a vote in support of mass surveillance. The way to end mass surveillance is to end mass surveillance. Everything else is window dressing.
Rather than reauthorizing section 215, Congress should let this dangerous provision expire and pass much-needed reforms, including ending mass surveillance under section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, Executive Order 12333 and other authorities, and enhancing Congressional oversight of secret intelligence agencies.
CREDO and Demand Progress would support legislation enshrining the reforms demanded in this just-released letter, signed by 60 organizations, businesses, and prominent national security whistleblowers.
http://demand-progress.tumblr.com/post/117018009995/letter-to-congress-end-mass-surveillance
Furthermore, the organizations support likely efforts to amend the legislation to ban warrantless wiretapping of U.S. persons.
“It’s like rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic,” said Becky Bond, Vice President of CREDO Mobile. “As a telecom that can be compelled to participate in unconstitutional government surveillance, we can tell you that the latest version of the USA FREEDOM Act is just a diversion to take the heat off our out-of-control surveillance state. That’s why CREDO Mobile opposes this proposal to reauthorize section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.”
“This bill purports to ban certain acts under narrow authorities — but it doesn’t ban those behaviors outright. Nor does it increase meaningful oversight of the NSA. If there’s one thing we know about the NSA, it’s that it will stretch the law to its limits,” said David Segal, Executive Director of Demand Progress. “If this bill passes, the NSA will continue unaddressed surveillance programs and will secretly torture the English language to devise novel justifications for spying on Americans — we won’t even know the details until a new whistleblower comes forward a decade or two from now.”
###
