US Electronic Surveillance - Patriot Act Renewal 2020

CraginS — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 16:28:48 GMT

This posting is for our US members, but is probably of interest to privacy advocates around the world.

The key legal basis for deep electronic surveillance by US law enforcement and intelligence agencies, justified on the basis of fighting terrorism, is Section 215 of the US PATRIOT Act. That law is set to expire on March 15, 2020, unless renewed by a new law passed by Congress and signed by the President.

I urge our US members to consider the privacy and security implications of Section 215, and correspond with your Senators and Representatives accordingly and quickly. I have already done so. I will not amplify my position here, but suggest you do your own research. In that vein, here are recent articles I recommend:

EFF: Tell Congress: Do Not Pass a Clean Reauthorization of Section 215

ABC News: Attorney General Bill Barr splits with Trump, other Republicans over reauthorization of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Wall Street Journal: Trump to Meet With GOP Lawmakers Amid Fight Over Curtailing U.S. Spying Powers

For ease of writing to your members of Congress, I recommend using Democracy.io a service originally developed by EFF and now maintained by Taskforce.

Craig

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US Electronic Surveillance - Patriot Act Renewal 2020