As of this past Saturday, there are less than 100 days remaining until certain provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act will expire unless Congress takes action. Access U.S. Policy Manager Amie Stepanovich laid out the importance of the next 100 days. Now is the time for Congress to pass surveillance reform, and if they cannot, to allow the USA PATRIOT Act articles to sunset. One of the expiring provisions, the well-known and well-worn Section 215, has been used to collect phone records of nearly all Americans. Section 215 and the privacy-invasive programs it enables have been rejected by the government’s own privacy experts. Even intelligence community leaders have supported real reform. Minimally acceptable legislation must end bulk collection under the USA PATRIOT Act and increase the transparency of surveillance programs without facilitating any new surveillance.
We do not accept invasive surveillance.
Come back to the Access blog for up-to-date information on the surveillance reform process in the U.S. Congress.