NSA Bulk Collection, Intelligence Surveillance Court Need Systemic Reform

US Senator Richard Blumenthal said that the current Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) is broken and is required to be reformed.

 

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A US federal appeals court ruling that the US National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk collection of telephony metadata is illegal should embolden reform of government surveillance, US Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a statement on Thursday.

“This authoritative ruling shows that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) got it wrong — permitting unauthorized and un-American intrusion — and will continue to get it wrong, and endanger basic rights, unless it is reformed,” Blumenthal said.

Earlier on Thursday, a US federal appeals court ruled that the NSA’s bulk collection of telephony meta data exceeded the scope of what Congress authorized under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.

Section 215 has been legally interpreted by NSA and two presidential administrations to justify the mass surveillance program on US citizens revealed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The ruling comes as a June 1, 2015, deadline approaches for Congress to renew or revise the Patriot Act. Two bills are being considered: one that would straight renew the Patriot Act and another, the USA Freedom Act, which would place limitations on Section 215 by allowing surveillance on specific targets — instead of bulk collection — after approval by the FISC court.

Greater oversight would also be placed over the program under the USA Freedom Act, including a “Special Advocate” on the FISA court to argue on behalf of privacy and civil liberties.

Blumenthal introduced legislation in 2013 to reform the FISC court and pushed for the inclusion of more transparency. He said Thursday’s court ruling should “empower and embolden reform.”

“The current FISC system itself is broken — requiring systemic reforms, like an advocate for Constitutional protections that would save the FISA Court from such errors. Courts always do better when they hear both sides, as the Second Circuit Court of Appeals did here in striking down the FISA Court's illegal practice,” Blumenthal stated.

The appeals court, however, did not order bulk collection to stop, taking into account that Congress is debating the issue this month. Yet, the decision, which now goes back to a lower court, could help frame debate over the Patriot Act and USA Freedom Act.

If the Patriot Act is renewed, the government could challenge the appeals court’s decision and take the case to the US Supreme Court for a final ruling.

The appeals court decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.