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|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: ACLU |
Rep. Harman Introduces Bill To Restrain Domestic Deployment Of Spy Satellites
Legislation Closes Troubled DHS National Applications Office
WASHINGTON - June 5 - Representative Jane Harman (D-CA) introduced two bills last night to stop the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) use of satellite imagery from intelligence agencies for homeland security and law enforcement purposes. The legislation, H.R. 2703 and 2704, will prohibit funding for and close the DHS' National Application Office (NAO). This troubled office is responsible for a domestic surveillance program that the American Civil Liberties Union had long opposed in testimony and letters to Congress over the past two years.
The following can be attributed to Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:
"Today, Representative Harman put the brakes on the drift towards the surveillance society. Thanks to Representative Harman's leadership, Congress will take the first step toward shutting down the National Application Office and its ill-conceived domestic surveillance program. This legislation would restrain domestic use of spy satellites while allowing the Department of Interior's program to continue using its imagery in a responsible way. With billions of dollars going to build satellites that see more than the human eye, the idea of turning these lenses on Americans should raise alarm bells for everyone."
3 Comments so far
Show AllAlthough this action by Harman (and supported by the ACLU) is rooted in the abuses of the Bush administration and is proposed with good intentions, it kills the potential use of so called "spy satellites" for a wide variety of uses that are beneficial to Americans. The new domestic use policy permits imagery from those platforms to be used by state and local governments for much more than law enforcement purposes. The policy that established the National Applications Office also allows state and local governments to acquire imagery to help address and respond to natural and man-made disasters and for scientific/environmental (think climate change studies, etc.) purposes. Killing the NAO will eliminate the potential benefits along with the possibility for privacy intrusions. An appropriate legal framework and proper controls on the uses can mitigate the concerns and not throw out the baby with the bath water.
BTW, I'm a proud "card carrying member of the ACLU" and have decades of experience in this overall subject. It would be a shame if the government's technical capabilities could not be used for the benefits briefly mentioned above and many other possibilities.
Linkalpha
Hasn't everyone had enough of this governments bullshit yet?
The time has come to put a stop to these intrusions.
Another example
Exclusive: Inside Account of U.S. Eavesdropping on Americans
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=5987804&page=1
Thank you Jane Harman!
I guess there are a few good souls left...
Are you kidding? She supported the FISA crap to the hilt and is now decrying it after the NSA recorded her conversation with AIPAC lobbyists to get leniency for two of their members that were charged with espionage. The scandal was on this site for a few days.