Hi Tom –
Eleven days from now, the U.S. government’s most powerful mass surveillance law will expire. But instead of seizing the opportunity to rein in some of the government’s worst abuses, Congress is poised to make a bad situation even worse.
It’s critical that every one of us calls our House representatives to stop a dangerous expansion of warrantless government surveillance. https://www.aclu.org/issues/national-security/privacy-and-surveillance/tell-congress-stop-spying-without-warrant
In 2013, I shared documents with journalists that revealed the breathtaking scope of the United States’ mass surveillance programs, sparking global outrage and historic reforms. But Congress has failed to reform Section 702, and some members are working to drastically expand its powers. The government uses that law to collect our emails, text messages, phone calls, and more. It can be used to target journalists, human rights activists, and ordinary citizens who have done nothing wrong, without meaningful oversight.
I’ve made it clear that I don’t think any administration should have this power over its people. But the thought of this kind of unchecked power in the hands of the Trump administration, which has made clear its desire to abuse the government’s surveillance systems, is chilling.
The time to act is now. Pick up the phone today and tell Congress America won’t accept mass warrantless surveillance.
The last time a major surveillance law was set to expire, the people organized to demand reform – and they got it. This time, the House is rushing this bad bill through Congress in the hopes no one will notice.
But we have noticed. Let’s remind our leaders what can happen when we have a say in how we’re governed.
Make a call to protect our country from abusive government surveillance.
Thanks for stepping up to act,
Edward Snowden
ACLU client, fighting for surveillance reform