Right now the government can get its hands on nearly every aspect of your online life, from your private Facebook and Instagram pictures to text messages to direct messages on Twitter
With all of the threats to our online privacy and security, you might be surprised to hear that the most popular bill pending before Congress would provide a robust update to our electronic privacy rights.
Appropriations bills are meant to determine funding for government agencies. But members of Congress have increasingly used these must-pass spending bills to sneak in controversial riders that might not survive an actual debate.
In the wake of the latest series of tragic terrorist attacks, the heads of the CIA and FBI, among other prominent government officials, are capitalizing on public fears to push policies that infringe on our most fundamental values.
Congress is once again feeling the pressure to push “cybersecurity” legislation. The problem is, the bill they’re laser-focused on is misguided, wouldn’t protect us — and is a huge gift to companies wanting legal cover if and when they choose to violate Americans’ privacy rights.
Some members of Congress are still trying to mess with the Net Neutrality rules — in this case by embedding anti-open Internet provisions in an appropriations bill.
On Tuesday the Senate passed the USA Freedom Act, a surveillance reform bill that reins in some of the powers the NSA has been using to spy on innocent Americans. President Obama signed the bill later that same day.
It’s not every day that you find the Free Press Action Fund, the ACLU, and the Committee to Protect Journalists joining forces with libertarian think tanks like the Competitive Enterprise Institute and R Street.
