Setting curbs on meta-data collection
There appears to be at least some recognition in official Washington that the mass collection of data in the name of fighting terrorists has gone too far and needs to be restrained, even modestly. From a Judiciary committee press release, we learn this:
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) today announced that on Wednesday, May 7 at 1:00 p.m., the House Judiciary Committee will markup the USA FREEDOM Act (H.R. 3361), legislation introduced by Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) to reform our nation’s intelligence-gathering programs operated under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
At the markup, an amendment in the nature of a substitute will be offered by Crime Subcommittee Chairman Sensenbrenner on behalf of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Va.). This bipartisan substitute amendment protects Americans’ civil liberties while maintaining a workable framework for intelligence officials to keep us safe from foreign enemies who wish us harm. Among its many provisions, the substitute amendment prohibits bulk collection under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act (Section 501 of FISA), prohibits bulk collection under the FISA Pen Register/Trap and Trace statute (Section 402 of FISA) and National Security Letter statutes, authorizes the government to acquire telephone records stored by telephone providers but only with prior approval from the FISA Court on a case-by-case basis, increases privacy protections at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), and clarifies privacy protections for Americans under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act.
We shall have to see just how much this substitute will protect Americans’ civil liberties, but any step toward doing so over the status quo is a positive development.
