June 30, 2015

Wyden Blasts Unnecessary Resumption of NSA Phone Records Dragnet

Bulk Phone Records Program Violates Privacy, Does Not Make Americans Safer

Washington, D.C. –Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today criticized a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court decision allowing the NSA to resume collecting millions of Americans’ phone records. The decision allows five more months of the NSA dragnet, before the phone records program is banned for good.
 
"I see no reason for the Executive Branch to restart bulk collection, even for a few months. This illegal dragnet surveillance violated Americans' rights for fourteen years without making our country any safer,” Wyden said. “It is disappointing that the administration is seeking to resurrect this unnecessary and invasive program after it has already been shut down. However I am relieved this will be the final five months of Patriot Act mass surveillance, thanks to the passage of the USA Freedom Act. It will take a concerted effort by everyone who cares about Americans' privacy and civil liberties to continue making inroads against government overreach."

Senator Wyden has led the fight against government mass surveillance for nearly a decade. Learn more about his work here.
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