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US Congress Attempts to Close Loopholes and Block Funding for NSA Surveillance

posted by martyb on Monday June 15 2015, @01:55PM   Printer-friendly
from the sudden-outbreak-of-common-sense? dept.

wantkitteh wrote to tell us that TechDirt reports:

Last night, we noted that an amendment from Reps. Thomas Massie and Zoe Lofgren was on the docket that had two provisions to stop two different kinds of surveillance: the first, taking away funding from "backdoor searches" which are a hugely problematic "loophole" that the NSA uses to do warrantless surveillance of Americans. In many ways, this is much worse than the bulk collection programs that were just hindered by the USA Freedom Act. The second part of the amendment was barring funds from being used to mandate "backdoors" into technology products -- another hugely important move. Thankfully, the amendment passed by a wide margin earlier today: 255 - to 174.

The article goes on to mention that a similar amendment was proposed and passed with a much wider margin in previous debates last year, but was later dropped when passing the higher profile "CRomnibus bill" required it.

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  • (Score: 2) by tathra on Tuesday June 16 2015, @01:56AM

    by tathra (3367) on Tuesday June 16 2015, @01:56AM (#196698)

    At the very least, there needs to be real punishments for politicians who vote for unconstitutional bills and people who violate the constitution.

    there is. the law covering violations of the oath of office [opm.gov] is Title 18 U.S. Code ยง 1918 [cornell.edu]. federal employees who violate the oath of office are to be fined or imprisoned for up to a year. its just never been enforced.

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anal Pumpernickel on Tuesday June 16 2015, @02:12AM

    by Anal Pumpernickel (776) on Tuesday June 16 2015, @02:12AM (#196702)

    Then that doesn't sound like there are real punishments. Not in practice, anyway.

    And a year? For aiding in the violation of possibly nearly everyone's rights? That's too lenient.