As expected, technology companies, tech trade groups and privacy organizations sent a letter today to the President Barack Obama, various members of Congress, and governmental security officials, urging reform of the U.S. government’s surveillance practices.
Tech companies represented by groups that signed the letter include Microsoft, Dropbox, Facebook, Apple and Google. Other tech firms such as Mozilla and CloudFlare signed on alone.
The missive concerns Sections 215 and 214 of the PATRIOT Act, a law passed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that’s been a key legal foundation for the government’s collection of Americans’ call record metadata, for example. The now-infamous Section 215 of the act will sunset on June 1, barring Congressional action.
That is why the companies and groups have banded together: The aligned front increases pressure on Congress to reform the act to end bulk surveillance. The letter’s language:
There must be a clear, strong, and…
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