There have been quite a few really awful attempts to rein in US government surveillance powers. But just when people were getting sick and tired of false attempts to rein in the NSA and other spy agencies, the Senate presented a reasonable version, called the USA Freedom Act of 2014. Top VPN provider IPVanish is pleased with this development and shares what it can do for our online privacy.
USA Freedom Act
Senator Leahy is responsible for bringing in the new bill. It is the first attempt to control NSA spying that actually controls NSA spying. The bill is geared more towards limiting the ability of government agencies to gather phone records, but it has a solid base. It will provide real protections and also act as a stepping stone to further privacy legislation. The bill directly responds to Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, which is one of the worst provisions for mass data collection. The name of the bill itself, the USA Freedom Act, is a testament to this.
This USA Freedom Act is also the first version to really provide privacy protections. It calls for a special panel consisting of select individuals to represent people’s civil rights and privacy interests. They will argue these points before FISC to make sure no one is abused when the NSA tries to get any surveillance plans through.
Transparency is another great part of this new bill. The government will have to report on the number of requests made for people’s data. And this is not just a quick report, but it has to say how many individuals are under surveillance or affected by the surveillance. This report wil also include anyone who is a victim of warrantless searches.
