House Passes Electronic Surveillance Bill

By Greg Galitzine

Group Editorial Director

 

The U.S. House has approved an electronic surveillance bill that some say is designed to basically protect telecommunications companies from lawsuits.

 

The bill (HR 6304), which was passed in the House on a 293-129 vote, updates the 30-year-old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and moves to balance an individual’s right to privacy with the government’s responsibility to protect the country against attack.

 

Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer played a major role in bipartisan compromise.

 

“This measure provides the intelligence community with strong authority to surveil foreign terrorists who seek to harm this country and our people,” Hoyer said. “It provides for enhanced civil liberties protections for Americans, and insists on meaningful judicial scrutiny.”

 

President Bush praised the legislation, which in his words would “…allow our intelligence professionals to quickly and effectively monitor the plans of terrorists abroad, while protecting the liberties of Americans here at home.”

 

“It will help our intelligence professionals learn our enemies’ plans for new attacks. It ensures that those companies whose assistance is necessary to protect the country will themselves be protected from liability for past or future cooperation with the government,” Bush added.

 

A spokesperson for AT&T (News - Alert) told TMCnet, “We applaud the strong leadership and bi-partisan support in the House of Representatives for legislation that balances America’s national-security needs with the need to protect the rights of individuals and companies.”

 

Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office, was clearly not happy with the compromise deal passed by the House referring to it as a compromise of citizens’ constitutional rights.

 

“It’s Christmas morning at the White House thanks to this vote. The House just wrapped up some expensive gifts for the administration and their buddies at the phone companies. The House should be ashamed of itself. The fate of the Fourth Amendment is now in the Senate’s hands. We can only hope senators will show more courage than their colleagues in the House,” Fredrickson said.