14 DAY TRIAL // The USA Freedom Act, which could seriously hamper the NSA’s mass surveillance efforts, might finally get voted on as soon as next week.
The United States Senate might push the vote to take place this year, before the new Congress members fill their seats. This would give the Act a high priority level, even though it hasn’t been considered a legislative priority until now, and would have likely gotten shelved until the next Congress.
This particular legislative effort has gotten high praise from privacy advocates and tech companies. It puts an end to the dragnet collection of phone records of American citizens, and cuts down on other liberties agencies have been taking. For instance, the bill tells the intelligence agencies that they need to have reasonable reasons to suspect an individual before targeting them with surveillance tools.
They also won’t be able to assign surveillance to massive groups, as they have done up until now.
“If enacted, this bill would represent the most significant reform of government surveillance authorities since Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act 13 years ago. This is an historic opportunity, and I am grateful that the bill has the support of the administration, a wide range of privacy and civil liberties groups, and the technology industry,” said Patrick Leahy, one of the supporters of the bill.
If passed, it may be voted on by the House and signed into law by the end of the year, something that people have lost hope about.
Long time coming
It’s been nearly a year and a half since the NSA cat got out of the bag thanks to Edward Snowden’s leaked files. It’s also been just as long since there’s been a need for reform and demands for change.
Despite all the promises for change, nothing has changed so far in this regard. Empty promises have been all that we’ve heard, even as the revelations keep pouring in, even if at a somewhat slower pace.
“The Internet Association is pleased with the Senate’s decision to vote on the USA Freedom Act, which aims to end government’s bulk Internet metadata collection and increase transparency around government’s surveillance practices. Passage of this important legislation will strengthen Internet users’ trust and ensure their confidence in the Internet,” the political lobbying organization said.
If the bill gets voted on and moves forward, then this will be a big win for the anti-mass surveillance activists, not just in the United States, but also abroad.
