The Catskill Chronicle

UNITED STATES (October 31, 2013) – Congressman Chris Gibson announced recently that he joined with a bipartisan group of members to introduce legislation to restore Americans’ privacy rights.  H.R. 3361, the USA FREEDOM Act, would end the government’s dragnet collection of phone records and will require greater oversight, transparency, and accountability with respect to domestic surveillance authorities.

“I have been a strong critic of the National Security Agency (NSA) data collection program, including supporting an amendment in July that would have defunded the NSA program responsible for the collection of data on Americans.  This is in addition to having voted against reauthorizations of parts of the PATRIOT Act and Foreign Surveillance Act since I have been in Congress because of longstanding concerns about their unconstitutional authority,” said Congressman Gibson. “Today’s legislation is an important step forward and it’s a step supported by a bipartisan group in the House and Senate.  I refuse to accept the false choice that we have to give up our civil liberties and the rights that define us as Americans to remain safe.  I will be strongly advocating for swift passage of this legislation.”

The USA FREEDOM Act ends the bulk collection of data under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.  In addition to ending the phone record collection, the USA Freedom Act would include the following provisions:

· Strengthen prohibitions against targeting the communications of Americans and would require the government to more aggressively delete information accidentally collected on Americans.

· Increases the transparency of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) and creates the Office of the Special Advocate tasked with arguing for stronger privacy protections before the FISA Court and is vested with the authority to appeal decisions.

· Expand the power of the existing Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to include subpoena power to investigate issues related to privacy and national security.

· Allow internet and telecom companies like Google, Microsoft and Facebook to publically reveal more statistics about the information they turn over to the government.

· Require the government to make semi-annual public reports estimating the number of individuals that were subject to FISA orders authorizing electronic surveillance.