RootsAction - your help needed!

[swarfendor437]

This just came in my inbox - I don't know if I can participate as not a US Citizen:

A much weakened and now misnamed USA Freedom Act will be heard by the Senate Judiciary committee in the coming weeks.

Senator Patrick Leahy chairs the committee and co-authored the original bill. He has voiced support for restoring reforms gouged out by the House, such as ending bulk data collection.[1]

Please sign our petition, with FireDogLake, to Sen. Patrick Leahy, saying: strengthen the Freedom Act to truly end bulk data collection, or kill the bill.

If the Freedom Act can't be restored to include actual reforms that end mass surveillance, it should not be voted out of the Judiciary committee. We can't afford to let this bill become a law in its present form and further entrench the NSA's expansive surveillance techniques.

Fortunately, the tide is turning against unfettered NSA surveillance. Just a few weeks ago, the prospects for serious reform looked grim after the House passed a watered-down version of the USA Freedom Act that failed to end bulk data collection and actually institutionalized some NSA spying powers.[2]

But after lawmakers faced serious blowback for voting for the diluted version of the bill, some began to quietly change their ways. When the House voted this month to stop warrantless "backdoor" searches and prevent the NSA from forcing tech companies to build vulnerabilities into their products, the legislation passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.[3]

It's up to the Senate to make major changes to the Freedom Act, otherwise it could be just the bill the NSA wants to become law. There is a good chance we can see improvements in the Judiciary Committee, but we need to make our voices heard before hearings begin.

Please sign our petition to Senator Leahy to end bulk data collection, or kill the bill.

Thank you for all your work on this campaign. After signing the petition, please forward this message to your friends.

In solidarity,

-- The RootsAction.org Team and FireDogLake.com

Background:
1. The Hill: NSA Critics Hail Votes as Game-Changers
2. Brian Sonenstein, FDL Action: Bulk Surveillance Lives On in USA Freedom Act
3. TechFreedom: House Passes Lofgren-Massie Amendment to Help Rein in NSA


www.RootsAction.org