- Elizabeth Goitein and Senator Ron Wyden strongly oppose proposed amendments to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
- NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden warns that the impending law could turn U.S. tech companies into extensions of NSA spying, urging industry-wide lobbying against the bill as it heads for a Senate vote.
Senior director of the Brennan Center for Justice's Liberty & National Security Program, Elizabeth (Liza) Goitein, posted a thread on X (formerly Twitter), sharing her concern about a “terrifying” law that will force U.S. businesses to serve as NSA spies.
URGENT: Please read thread below. We have just days to convince the Senate NOT to pass a “terrifying” law (@RonWyden) that will force U.S. businesses to serve as NSA spies. CALL YOUR SENATOR NOW using this call tool (click below or call 202-899-8938). 1/25 https://t.co/HAOHURZoJQ
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
The proposed law changes and continues a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Section 702. C, the NSA can make internet companies like Google and Verizon give up sensitive information about NSA targets.
However, Goitein says that a small change in the law’s wording could let the U.S. government ask almost all internet service providers, including small companies and individuals, to help with NSA spying.
Goitein, in her thread on X also refers to a post by the U.S. Senator from Oregon, Ron Wyden, where he shares his take on the matter.
“This bill represents one of the most dramatic and terrifying expansions of government surveillance authority in history. I will do everything in my power to stop it from passing in the Senate,” wrote Senator Wyden in his X post.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has also taken it to X to emphasize the whole matter. He says that the NSA is only days away from “taking over the internet”.
The NSA is just 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 from taking over the internet, and it's not on the front page of any newspaper--because no one has noticed. https://t.co/qp5BimwOjI
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 15, 2024
In another post, Snowden further emphasized the matter and said:
“If you work at a US tech firm, this bill could transform your whole company into a spy machine—whether you like it or not—and will be voted on in DAYS. The entire industry needs to be lobbying to kill this thing. This is what a red alert looks like.”
Goitein believes there are powers that a democratic government shouldn't have. One such power is making regular people and businesses spy for it, even if they are supposed to watch foreigners. She warns that this could lead to misuse.
She also urges the Senate to act quickly to stop this. The Senate will vote on a bill this week that came from the House. If possible, senators should take out the spying provision. If they can't, they should vote against the whole bill.
Edited by Harshajit Sarmah
