“The Senate blocked legislation that would have limited the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of phone records, more than year after Edward Snowden exposed the extent of U.S. government surveillance programs,” Kathleen Hunter reports for Bloomberg. “The bill was an attempt to force spy agencies to collect only information sought through a court order and exclude the use of broad searches like by ZIP codes.”
“The Senate, with a Democratic majority, needed to act on the vote now before Republicans, many of whom support government surveillance programs, take control of the Senate in January following key wins in this month’s elections. Republicans already control the House,” Hunter reports. “The 58-42 vote to move the measure forward came mostly along party lines.”
“U.S. Internet and technology companies say they’ve already lost contracts with foreign governments over the issue. Forrester Research Inc. estimates the backlash against NSA spying could cost as much as $180 billion in lost business. Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. are among the companies pushing for limits,” Hunter reports. “The U.S House passed a bill, H.R. 3361, curbing NSA powers in May. However, there are differences between the House bill and the Senate measure that could complicate efforts to come to a final agreement by the end of the year. A group of technology companies, including Facebook, Google and Apple, opposed the House bill because of what it called an ‘unacceptable loophole that could enable the bulk collection of Internet users’ data.’ Some lawmakers who voted against the bill agreed that the legislation should have been stronger.”
Read more in the full article here.
“The “USA Freedom Act” was supported by an unusual coalition of Democrats and conservative Republicans concerned about Americans’ privacy, but failed 58 to 42, falling short of the 60 votes needed to move ahead,” Patricia Zengerle reports for Reuters.
“The measure is not likely to be taken up again anytime soon,” Zengerle reports. “Republican successes in elections on Nov. 4 gave the party control of a majority of seats in the Senate [53 Republicans, 44 Democrats, 2 Independents, 1 race TBD] and a larger majority in the House [244 Republicans, 186 Democrats, 5 races TBD] starting in January.”
Read more in the full article here.
“U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said he voted against the bill because it would have extended the Patriot Act provision that allows the NSA to search Americans’ phone records,” Matt Sledge and Ryan Grim report for The Huffington Post. “He has consistently opposed the Patriot Act, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.”
“While Paul said he ‘felt bad’ that the bill failed, because it ‘probably needed my vote,’ he also claimed the country was ‘one step closer to restoring civil liberties,’ because the Patriot Act provision’s expiration date will not be extended,” Sledge and Grim report. “NSA reform’s next stop is May 2015 — the Patriot Act provision’s original expiration date.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: United States Constitution, Amendment IV:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. – Ronald Reagan, March 30, 1961
Visit the Apple-backed reformgovernmentsurveillance.com today.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Sparkles” for the heads up.]
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