CCIA Letter Supports Restraints On Federal Surveillance
9/22/2009
Washington –
The House has a hearing today and the Senate holds one tomorrow ahead of
discussions to renew provisions in the Patriot Act that expire Dec. 31. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., introduced legislation this month that would repeal
immunity for telecommunication companies for spying on US citizens without
warrants.
The Judicious
Use of Surveillance Tools in Counterterrorism Efforts (JUSTICE) Act would
include additional provisions to offer better checks and balances on government
surveillance.
The Computer
& Communications Industry Association sent a letter to Durbin and Feingold
Tuesday thanking them for the legislation and urging the senate to pass the
amendment. CCIA has argued against retroactive immunity for telecommunication
companies during the last renewal of the Patriot Act. The following statement
can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“Allowing the
federal government to encourage companies to break the law with a promise of
immunity later is never a good precedent. It’s not just a practice that’s a little
awkward for companies, but one that is a real danger to a democracy.
“We worry
about the chilling effect on speech when large amounts of lawful communication
is searched automatically rather than just the electronic communication of
suspects. The legislation introduced by Senators Durbin and Feingold would help
protect the privacy of those who are not breaking the law, while still giving
law enforcement the tools they need to go after terrorist suspects.
“We’ve seen
spying and censorship of online communications escalate in other nations this
year. It’s difficult for our diplomats to challenge these practices as human
rights violations when we engage in similar activities here. Taking a stand to
protect basic freedoms here will help US companies and state department
officials when trying to discourage censorship and spying in other nations.”
About CCIA:
CCIA is an
international, nonprofit association of computer and communications industry
firms, representing a broad cross section of the industry. CCIA is dedicated to
preserving full, fair and open competition throughout our industry. Our members
employ more than 600,000 workers and generate annual revenues in excess of $200
billion.
Contact:
Heather
Greenfield
202-783-0070
ext 113
Ed Black
202-783-0070 ext 10
