Senators Want to Restore and Improve Transparency in USA Freedom Act

image
Published: 07 Jul, 2014
Updated: 14 Oct, 2022
2 min read

A bipartisan team of U.S. Senators is hoping legislation can eventually gain the support of President Barack Obama and curb some of the powers of the National Security Agency (NSA).

Originally sponsored by U.S. Senators Al Franken and Dean Heller as part of their Surveillance Transparency Act, these lawmakers believe the measures can benefit the USA Freedom Act. According to a press release, an amended USA Freedom Act would:

"Force the government to release the number of Americans who have had their information not only collected under these surveillance programs, but also reviewed. They would also give companies greater flexibility to tell their customers approximately how many of them were caught up in government surveillance requests."

Reminding President Obama of his promise to end bulk data collection, Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, and Heller, a Nevada Republican, wrote a public letter to the president last week laying out their suggestions. The Senators said the proposed provisions would:

"Give the American people the information they need to reach an informed opinion about surveillance programs and hold the American government accountable."

Introduced by U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, the USA Freedom Act was originally designed to restore transparency to the process of monitoring suspected American enemies. Many privacy advocates had high hopes for the act.

However, the version that passed the U.S. House was considered watered down to the point that even an original cosponsor, Justin Amash (R-Mich.), voted against it.

The incentive for passing more specific transparency regulations may have become evident in light of recent revelations.

A report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence revealed the estimated number of people targeted by surveillance agencies. However, the report did not reveal the total number of people who had data collected nor how many of those people were American.

Also, a recently uncovered 2010 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court order revealed that a judge gave more extensive power to the NSA than previously thought.

According to the Washington Post, approximately 90 percent of the data collected by the NSA was from people who were not the intended targets. Administration officials have said that even though the communications of ordinary Internet users are routinely caught in sweeps, those communications get filtered out if they hold no intelligence value.

To explain how these powers can be ambiguous and subject to expansive interpretation, Barton Gellman and Ellen Nakashima write:

IVP Donate

"Language could allow for surveillance of academics, journalists and human rights researchers. A Swiss academic who has information on the German government's position in the run-up to an international trade negotiation, for instance, could be targeted if the government has determined there is a foreign-intelligence need for that information."

Debate in the U.S. Senate over the USA Freedom Act is expected to begin sometime this summer. Yet, the most recent revelations about the scope and authority of surveillance may lead to further discussion about its impact on civil liberties within the context of national security.

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read