The House of Representatives is considering a bill that would prevent the NSA from conducting warrantless searches through U.S. citizens’ e-mail accounts.
Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-HA) and Scott Perry (R-PA) have presented a bill which seeks to “permanently codify protections on Americans’ privacy.” It has been introduced to the House to cement a policy change announced by the NSA in April, ending surveillance of e-mail based on keywords related to foreign targets of spying, unless they were specifically to or from concerned parties. This catch-all form of spying is known as “about” surveillance, and both Gabbard and Perry want to ensure it doesn’t make a comeback.
In a statement, Gabbard asserted that the NSA has been “defying the rights and liberties granted to us under the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.” She criticized the 2008 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — namely Section 702 — for bringing on a “massive government-led exploitation of personal privacy.” She says that the bill will “keep our country from backtracking on this progress by permanently codifying this policy change and banning this privacy-invading collection from taking place again.”
Perry said that “collection of electronic communications … that merely mention a foreign target of surveillance” has been used as “an end-around the Fourth Amendment,” commending the NSA for finally “aligning their collection efforts with the Constitution.” It is an “important win for the American people” that their bill seeks to protect from the decisions of “future administrations.”
This bill is the first step in reforming Section 702, a change that Neema Singh Guliani, a legislative counsel at the ACLU, advocated for in the wake of the April decision:
The announcement today underscores the need for Congress to significantly reform Section 702. While the NSA’s policy change will curb some of the most egregious abuses under the statute, it is at best a partial fix. Congress should take steps to ensure such practices are never resurrected, and also end policies that permit broad, warrantless collection of Americans’ communications.
Both Gabbard and Perry are veterans of the Iraq War. They are members of the Fourth Amendment Caucus, and co-chair the Post-9/11 Veterans Caucus. And while they have particular motivation to protect the freedom of Americans, this is a bill that addresses real and ongoing concerns with the state of U.S. citizens’ privacy on both sides of the aisle. If you want to add your own voice to the issue, contact your Representative.
Follow Nate Church @Get2Church on Twitter for the latest news in gaming and technology, and snarky opinions on both.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.