- Home /
- News /
- 2015 /
- June /
- USA-NSA: <b>US Freedom Act passed but surveillance of "foreigners" continues</b>
USA-NSA: US Freedom Act passed but surveillance of "foreigners" continues
03 June 2015
"It leaves untouched formerly secret programs the NSA says are authorized under section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, and that while ostensibly targeted at foreigners nonetheless collect vast amounts of American communications. It won’t in any way limit the agency’s mass surveillance of non-American communications." (
The Intercept, link) [emphasis, added]
See also: Previous coverage: (
The Intercept, link):
"Congress is doing nothing to limit NSA programs ostensibly targeted at foreigners that nonetheless collect vast amounts of American communications, nor to limit the agency’s mass surveillance of non-American communications. The limited reforms in the new bill affect only the one program explicitly aimed at Americans." [emphasis added]
See:
US Freedom Act 2015 (pdf)
Congress passes NSA surveillance reform in vindication for Snowden - Bulk collection of Americans’ phone records to end as US Senate passes USA Freedom Act (Guardian, link):
"The US Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to end the bulk collection of millions of Americans’ phone records, ushering in the country’s most significant surveillance reform since 1978 two years after NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations... The American Civil Liberties Union praised the passage of the USA Freedom Act as “a milestone” but pointed out that there were many more “intrusive and overbroad” surveillance powers yet untouched."
Congress turns away from post-9/11 law, retooling U.S. surveillance powers (Washington Post, link):
"Congress on Tuesday rejected some of the sweeping intelligence-gathering powers it granted national security officials after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with the Senate voting to end the government’s bulk collection of private telephone records and to reform other surveillance policies. The bill, known as the USA Freedom Act, passed on a 67-to-32 vote, against the will of Senate Republican leaders who wished to preserve existing spy programs." and
Questions and answers about newly approved USA Freedom Act (Washington Post, link)