It’s been almost 18 months since whistleblower Edward Snowden exposed the NSA’s spying programs. And on Tuesday, the Senate will decide whether to move forward with the USA Freedom Act — a bill that would curb some of the government’s worst surveillance practices.

This bill has a complicated history. But if the USA Freedom Act doesn't pass, the NSA’s dragnet surveillance program will be renewed in December — meaning our online communications will remain vulnerable to government spying.

Here’s the backstory: The original version of the USA Freedom Act was a strong reform bill that the Free Press Action Fund and dozens of privacy and civil society organizations supported — until the House watered it down.

Thanks to months of work from privacy advocates, tech companies and key allies in Congress, a stronger version of the bill is back in the Senate. While it isn’t perfect, this bill would restore key privacy protections by ending the mass spying conducted under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. It would also improve transparency by allowing businesses to report government requests for customer data and requiring additional reporting of government surveillance practices.

If the vote to bring the USA Freedom Act to the floor passes, a vote on the actual bill will happen later this week. This could be our last shot for real reform — and we can’t squander it.

Unfortunately, there’s a chance that the bill could get watered down again. That’s why we need to call our senators — and urge them to protect our right to privacy.

Call your senators today. Urge them to support the USA Freedom act and vote against any amendments that would weaken it.

We should be able to connect and communicate without the threat of government snooping.

Original photo by Flickr user Tristan Nitot