(Editor's Note :. The following is a guest blog from Daniel Schuman, policy director progress in demand demand progress works to win progressive policy changes for ordinary people through organizing and grassroots lobbying. It focuses on civil liberties issues, civil rights, and government reform. demand progress recently helped organize a coalition letter signed by 60 companies and bipartisan groups, including Golden Frog, urging Congress to end US mass surveillance).
Daniel Schuman
Policy Director, Demand Progress
clock turns down three provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, which gives a real opportunity to end mass surveillance and to adopt additional reforms in Congress. But the intelligence community and its allies on Capitol Hill are fighting tooth and nail to codify broad supervisory powers it has assumed to itself before June 1 expiration.
Mass surveillance is toxic to our democracy. government mass surveillance practices are virtually endless, and unnecessary, against-productive and costly. They undermine our economy, public confidence in government, and even the proper functioning of government itself. The only antidote is the reform of the important surveillance.
Meaningful reform must include fixing the law and end the perverse understanding of executive power of his authority to spy on Americans. In addition, Congress must significantly increase the transparency, oversight and accountability of intelligence agencies, especially those who have acted unconstitutionally.
Fixed the USA PATRIOT Act.
Mass surveillance conducted under the USA PATRIOT Act is contrary to the exercise by the Americans of their civil liberties. Section 215 of the law has been twisted by the executive to allow ostensibly to collect virtually unlimited personal information, from weapons fire records and financial records in our physical locations and with whom we speak. Even the author of the original bill said that it is not what Congress intended
Any worse, this intrusive collection is not only contrary to the Constitution. it is useless. President Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board have not found a single instance exists "implying a threat to the United States in which the telephone records program makes a concrete difference in the outcome of a terrorism investigation." Others have reached similar conclusions. Even the NSA considered ending the program because the "costs outweigh the limited benefits counterterrorism." Additional provisions may be interpreted to allow bulk collection, whether under Article 214, via national security letter, or elsewhere, must be addressed.
Clarify other laws, too.
Congress must end mass surveillance programs allegedly allowed elsewhere, including under the FISA Amendments Act and Executive Order 12333. These programs are incredibly wide. For example, they include the acquisition of large amounts of information sent privately over the Internet (eg, "upstream collection" under section 702 of the Act of 08 FISA Amendments). They also include any information or communication, by foreigners and Americans, which is always transmitted outside the physical limits of the United States (eg, as authorized by the 12333 decree). Section 702 results in the unnecessary collection of innocent American domestic communications, and EO 12333 raises troubling concerns about the scope of the collection and the authority assumed by the President.
Restore the responsibility for the bad actors in the intelligence community.
responsibility begins with the truth. members of Congress, both on the left and the right, must have access to the necessary documents to know the full story. they must be able to trust those they supervise. When they are misled, as happened in the statements of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and CIA Director John Brennan, there must be consequences. In addition, the intelligence committees and members of Congress must have the staff, resources, permission and cooperation necessary to ensure vigorous monitoring. A special committee should investigate and report publicly on the Community Intelligence transgressions since 9/11.
Mass Surveillance harms our economy.
mass surveillance will cost in the digital economy to $ 180 billion in lost revenue by 2016 law enforcement efforts to subvert the integrity of technology, especially by attacking the confidentiality mechanisms and safety integrated in technology threaten the profitability of US manufacturers, entrepreneurs and software companies. Already, 30% of all American adults reported changing their online behavior in response to fears of surveillance.
For the most part, Congress has focused on minor changes to the general supervisory powers the executive has aggregated to itself, often in secret. This is the right place to start. Instead, Congress should focus on what can actually needs the intelligence community, if properly exercised and effective, and if they violate our civil liberties.
I look forward to continuing the fight for Congress to end US mass surveillance. I hope you will join me. The site of application: Progress http://www.stopmassspying.com is a great place to start
About the author :.
Daniel Schuman is the director of policy at the request of advancement. Daniel was the advocacy vanguard for greater transparency of the Congress for the better part of a decade. He worked as a member of Congress staff and later as an attorney with the Congressional Research Service. You can follow him on Twitter at @danielschuman
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