The NSA’s bulk collection and retention of telephone records and Internet communications is unconstitutional and a violation of international law. While Congress has an important role to play in legislating against mass surveillance, the Executive Branch started the practice and has the power to end it – by calling for legislation.
Stand Against Spying, a diverse coalition of over 20 organizations (including TechFreedom) calls on President Obama to bring transparency to America’s surveillance activities, end bulk collection, and pressure Congress to permanently outlaw this practice:
As citizens of the Internet, we believe that mass surveillance by the NSA and its global partners infringes on our civil liberties, runs contrary to democratic principles, and chills free expression… we urge you to stop the mass collection and retention of telephone records and Internet communications of hundreds of millions of people who are not suspected of a crime.
You can read the full open letter and sign on at StandAgainstSpying.org. Stand Against Spying grades members of Congress on their record of protecting privacy rights. See how your member stacks up by visiting the homepage and entering your address and zip code. Click here for information on the grading methodology.