European Policy, Government Surveillance
NSA Reform One Year After Snowden
A year ago today the first Snowden revelation about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) overreaching electronic surveillance broke, shocking Americans and the world. As passionate defenders of Americans’ 4th Amendment rights, as well as the international right to privacy, CDT was among the first digital rights advocacy organizations to begin unpacking the meaning of these documents.Since that day, we have made progress, but there is still much more to be done. For the first time in years, the US House of Representatives took up legislation that would actually reign in surveillance, but they gutted it at the last minute, making it far less effective.From day one though, CDT scoured the leaked documents and related legislation, seeking to understand the mysterious workings of the NSA while simultaneously attempting to answer the questions the American people deserved to know about the NSA’s practices.Our team and an unprecedented array of civil society and private sector coalitions came together to move closer to the government surveillance reforms we need. As a diverse, but united chorus of voices, we:
As the fight for real reform moves to the Senate, CDT will continue to advocate for the right balance between national security needs and respecting our fundamental privacy and free speech rights. We will be the only civil society group testifying today before the Senate on the latest NSA reform bill. We’ve also expanded our team on the Security and Surveillance Project to cover more ground, including a stronger focus on international human rights. For the latest on our efforts to reform the NSA’s surveillance programs, regularly visit our campaign page. It’s been one year since our understanding of government surveillance was rocked and we will work tirelessly to ensure those revelations help reshape the practices that are encroaching upon our civil liberties. |
