The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to pass a bill that would extend Title VII of the FISA Amendments Act. The U.S. government uses Section 702 of this law to justify invasive spying programs like PRISM and Upstream. The bill the House passed would extend spy powers under Section 702 for SIX years, and in some ways, would even expand those surveillance authorities.
This is tough — but we still have some hope. The bill has to go through the Senate, and it is expected to pass on Thursday. But our allies there are FIRED UP, and there’s still a chance we can stop this thing in its tracks. In particular, there are two senators who are committed to fighting for our rights: Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). Both senators believe deeply in protecting our privacy and have pledged to do everything they can to stop this bad bill.
Take action to the right to encourage these senators to fight hard.
Mass surveillance affects all of us, but it especially harms communities already facing discrimination, profiling, and marginalization. President Trump has also made clear his desire to use the powers of the U.S. government to target those who oppose him. Putting expanded surveillance capacities in the hands of any regime willing to exploit them is extremely dangerous. Congress recognized the broad reach of these powers, which is why they included a provision for expiration. If we can't add the protections they anticipated now, we need to let 702 expire.
No matter what happens this week, we're not giving up, and we're counting on you to back us up in the fight against warrantless surveillance and other threats to fundamental rights around the world. Join us now to support Senators Paul and Wyden, who are doing all they can to defeat this dangerous bill.
