Coalition Urges Senators to Reject Restrictions on PCLOB Purview

A broad coalition of civil society groups, companies, and trade associations sent a letter to each US Senator urging them to oppose a provision of the Senate Intelligence Authorization Act that would bar the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) from considering the rights of people who are not Americans in their deliberations. The letter points out that President Obama recognized that everyone in the world has rights worth protecting, and that PCLOB can play a special role in protecting those rights. This is the second time in as many years that a congressional intelligence committee has attempted to clip PCLOB’s wings. Last year, the House version of this annual legislation barred PCLOB from examining “covert actions” such as drone strikes, and that provision became law.

You can read the coalition letter here.