Surveillance State Repeal Act • (H.R. 1466)

This is a worthwhile piece of legislation which could begin to reverse much of the ill conceived overreach that our federal government has embarked upon.

We all know that these collections have been done, are being done and will continue to be done by all parties official and nefarious, we just don’t think it makes sense to legitimize unconstitutional searches and seizures purely for the purposes of legal defensibility.

It is in times or war when we must be the most careful not to forsake our constitution.

The Libertarian Party endorses the Surveillance State Repeal Act (H.R. 1466) introduced by Rep Mark Pocan (D-WI), which would substantially scale back the surveillance apparatus of the U.S. government.

Nicholas Sarwark, LP Chair said, “The Surveillance State Repeal Act would dramatically improve the privacy of Americans’ personal and business communications and restore substantial Fourth Amendment rights now routinely violated by the U.S. government.”

The New York Times editorial board endorsed an earlier version of the bill, stating that it “deserves full Congressional support.”

The Surveillance State Repeal Act would:

1. Repeal the PATRIOT Act (which contains the telephone metadata harvesting provision).

2. Repeal the FISA Amendments Act (which contains the email harvesting provision), with the exception of the provisions regarding FISA court reporting and WMD intelligence collection.

3. Make retaliation against federal national security whistleblowers illegal and provides for the termination of individuals who engage in such retaliation.

4. Ensure that any FISA collection against a US Person takes place only pursuant to a valid warrant based on probable cause (which was the original FISA standard from 1978 to 2001).

5. Retain the ability for government surveillance capabilities to be targeted against a specific natural person, regardless of the type of communications method(s) or device(s) being used by the subject of the surveillance.

6. Retain provisions in current law dealing with the acquisition of intelligence information involving weapons of mass destruction from entities not composed primarily of U.S. Persons.

7. Prohibit the government from mandating that electronic device or software manufacturers build in so-called “back doors” to allow the government to bypass encryption or other privacy technology built into said hardware and/or software.

8. Increase the terms of judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) from seven to ten years and allows their reappointment.

9. Mandate that the FISC utilize technologically competent Special Masters (technical and legal experts) to help determine the veracity of government claims about privacy, minimization and collection capabilities employed by the US government in FISA applications.

10. Mandate that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regularly monitor such domestic surveillance programs for compliance with the law, including responding to Member requests for investigations and whistleblower complaints of wrongdoing.

11. Explicitly ban the use of Executive Order 12333 as a way of collecting bulk data, which pertains to the collection and storage of communications by U.S. persons.

“The Libertarian Party would like to see all aspects of government mass surveillance ended, including complete elimination of the secret FISA court whose work issuing warrants for terrorist and criminal suspects can be easily assumed by existing federal courts,” said Sarwark. “But this bill is a good first step.”

The Libertarian Party calls on all Americans to contact their congressmen and women and urge them to support H.R. 1466, the Surveillance State Repeal Act, and to spread this message through social media and whatever other means possible. 

Surveillance State Repeal Act • (H.R. 1466)

a reply to: greencmp

Unfortunately that bill will never see the light of day.

originally posted by: Bilk22
a reply to: greencmp

Unfortunately that bill will never see the light of day.

Agree,

The republicans and democrats who dominate yoiur congress will shoot it down.


Our overlords wont let this pass

a reply to: Bilk22

That's the spirit!

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: Bilk22
a reply to: greencmp

Unfortunately that bill will never see the light of day.

Agree,

The republicans and democrats who dominate yoiur congress will shoot it down.


Our overlords wont let this pass

It could go before the king in which case he would have to veto it but, that wouldn't necessarily be the end of it.

All in all, I am impressed that such a thing could even be threatened (which represents some progress) and I approve of the effort wholeheartedly.

a reply to: Bilk22

Yeah your right but people citizens and politicians have to keep introducing this type of legislation.

So we have enough of a voice to say we do not want this type of surveillance and live in a de facto police state.

Basically we need to keep it coming.

originally posted by: American-philosopher
a reply to: Bilk22

Yeah your right but people citizens and politicians have to keep introducing this type of legislation.

So we have enough of a voice to say we do not want this type of surveillance and live in a de facto police state.

Basically we need to keep it coming.

Right you are, vigilance must be inexorable.

a reply to: greencmp


The text of the bill finally just went up...

Bill Text - 114th Congress - H.R.1466.IH

Short and sweet and while I too feel like some smoke is being blown somewhere, it can't be denied that this is a step in the right direction.

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: Bilk22
a reply to: greencmp

Unfortunately that bill will never see the light of day.

Agree,

The republicans and democrats who dominate yoiur congress will shoot it down.


Our overlords wont let this pass

I am going to have to agree with you on this one.

Who needs our politicians to shoot it down when our population isn't interested in repealing the very thing that they complain about while somehow managing to continue to complain about said thing.

The evidence proves me wrong. By all accounts, it would seem that we don't want to be free.

Doh.