By: Alex Kane, 01/02/2014

The New York Times editorial board has come out strongly for clemency or a plea deal for Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency private contractor-turned-whistleblower.  

In an editorial, the New York Times pointed out that Snowden’s actions have shed unprecedented light on the actions of the National Security Agency (NSA), a branch of government once jokingly referred to as “No Such Agency” because of its penchant for secrecy.  But now that Snowden blew the whistle on their efforts at mass surveillance, Americans--and the world--know much more about the NSA.  Snowden revealed that the NSA is collecting the metadata from millions of Americans’ phone calls and e-mails, among other revelations.

For more on this story visit www.alternet.org

By: Dr. David Kravets, 10/29/2013

Lawmakers proposed legislation today that would effectively end the NSA’s bulk phone metadata collection program. The legislation has support from Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate, and from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and National Rifle Association. But the USA FREEDOM Act’s passage into law remains uncertain. “It is time for serious and meaningful reforms so we can restore confidence in our intelligence community,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont and one of the bill’s chief sponsors.

Today’s proposal is a radical revamp of the Patriot Act, legislation passed in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. In 2006, lawmakers amended the act to allow the bulk collection program under the disguise of Section 215 of the Patriot Act — which allows the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to authorize broad warrants for most any type of “tangible” records, including those held by banks, doctors and phone companies.

By: News Staff, 10/23/2013

Privacy activists plan a massive march on Washington, D.C., this weekend demanding that Congress rein in the National Security Agency. The Saturday event, dubbed the Rally Against Mass Surveillance, is being organized by a coalition called Stop Watching Us.

More than 570,000 people have signed a petition in support of the group, and more than 100 public advocacy organizations and companies will be represented at the march and rally. The rally is also being supported through a public service announcement featuring film celebrities like John Cusack, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Oliver Stone. Activists will lobby Congress on Friday, asking for changes to the federal government’s policies regarding data collection. Their demands include changes to Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act of 2001, the state secrets privilege, and the FISA Amendments Act in order to stop blanket surveillance and to increase government transparency.

Alternet, By: Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, 10/18/2013

This week may be seen as a turning point in the fight back against NSA spying by creating new systems to overcome the surveillance state. There have been protests against the NSA’s spying program but they focus only on legislative solutions. While legislation is needed, many of the solutions lie within our own power and often merely require the government to get out of the way.  Technological solutions to government surveillance may be more important than legislation.

President Obama’s independent commission is anything but independent; it is filled with members of the surveillance state and organized under the auspices of the NSA.  We are not going to get a “Church Committee” in the current Congress.  The leadership of both parties and President Obama are too tied to the surveillance state – or, perhaps too afraid of it – to challenge it. The director of National Intelligence, James Clapper was not even reprimanded or forced to resign when he committed perjury before Congress about surveillance on Americans – something for which he should be criminally prosecuted. Protests against the surveillance state continue to grow. There is a mass protest planned for October 26th in Washington, DC against NSA surveillance