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Government Surveillance

Letter from Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence Signaling Support of USA FREEDOM Act

Senator Patrick Leahy shared a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper expressing approval of Senator Leahy’s most recent version of the USA FREEDOM Act (S. 2685).

The letter states that the bill “bans bulk collection under a variety of authorities,” but “preserves essential Intelligence Community capabilities.” The letter also suggests that a new mandate that telecom companies retain their data would be unnecessary, stating that “based on communications providers’ existing practices” the bill would preserve “essential operational capabilities… while eliminating bulk collection.”