Say It Plain: Stop Spying on Us

[marmar]

from truthdig:


Say It Plain: Stop Spying on Us

Posted on Jun 4, 2015
By Sonali Kolhatkar


For ordinary Americans who realize that the government is likely spying on us all but don’t understand the extent of the issue and what to do about it, the recent debate over the USA Patriot Act in Congress has been confusing.

Three key provisions of the Patriot Act expired Sunday: Section 215, which was used to legally justify the collection of mass telephone records; the so-called Lone-Wolf provision and the roving wiretap provision. Two days later, the Senate passed the USA Freedom Act, a reform bill that the House had already passed, which President Obama rushed to sign within hours. It was the first time Congress changed surveillance laws in well over a decade.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation cautiously celebrated the passage of the USA Freedom Act, calling it “a bill placing real restrictions and oversight on the National Security Agency’s surveillance powers.” Still, the group, which is a leader in the fight against electronic surveillance, wanted far greater protections. Activist groups like Demand Progress, Credo and Fight for the Future went further by signing a statement that read, “The USA Freedom Act is a mass surveillance bill dressed up as a reform bill, and its passage will authorize unconstitutional surveillance practices.”

Public confusion on the issue reflects the activist disagreements. On June 1, a day after parts of the Patriot Act expired, CNN/ORC released a poll finding that 60 percent of Americans supported the preservation of that law. While there was greater support among Republicans, majorities held among Democrats and even those identifying as “liberal.”

But a survey by the Pew Research Center earlier this year found the opposite: There is overwhelming support among Americans for greater controls over information being collected on them. In fact, a paltry 6 percent trust government agencies to “keep their records private and secure.” ...............(more)

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/say_it_plain_stop_spying_on_us_20150604

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