Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Progressive Community
The press releases posted here have been submitted by
America's Progressive Community
For further information or to comment on this press release, please contact the organization directly.
Most Popular This Week
Today's Top News
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: ACLU Mandy Simon, (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org |
Legislation To Be Introduced To Repeal Immunity For Telecommunications Companies
Bill Would Allow Cases Against Phone Companies Who Aided Bush Administration’s Domestic Spying To Move Forward
WASHINGTON - September 29 -
A
bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate today that would repeal
the immunity granted to telecommunications companies under the FISA
Amendments Act (FAA) passed last year. By including the immunity
provision in the FAA, Congress ensured the dismissal of active court
cases pending against companies that aided the Bush administration in
its illegal, unconstitutional and warrantless wiretapping program. The
bill, the Retroactive Immunity Repeal Act, will be introduced today by
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and committee
members Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Russell Feingold (D-WI), and Jeff
Merkley (D-OR).
The
American Civil Liberties Union has challenged the constitutionality of
the FAA in federal court. That lawsuit was dismissed in August on
procedural grounds, and the ACLU plans to appeal that dismissal this
week.
The following can be attributed to Michael Macleod-Ball, Acting Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:
“Passing
both the FISA Amendments Act last year and the telecom immunity
provision within it was a huge blow to Americans’ privacy. The grant of
immunity to giant telecommunications companies was a grievous insult to
the concept of privacy in America and we welcome the effort to
reinstate Americans’ ability to challenge government spying and
malfeasance. We urge Congress to repeal the immunity provision of the
FISA Amendments Act quickly. Otherwise, Americans may never learn the
truth about what the companies and the government did with our private
communications.”
For more information on the FAA, go to: www.aclu.org/faa
###
Comments are closed
1 Comment so far
Show AllI can tell you first hand that telecom companies are working hand in hand with local law enforcement and federal law enforcement to spy and track anyone they like without oversight.
They use community watch groups to conduct warrant less surveillance organized by Firefighter and EMS first responders nation wide, they report back to the local fusion center.
This is a huge charade of stazi spy network building.
Using gang stalking tactics to make their victim panic and act like a delusional nut case they hone their vigilante skills and through fear mongering.
The telecom companies are the key to exposing this criminal activity. If they are providing wire tap info or gps coordinates for the purpose of tracking a victim so the vigilante stalking can have its full effect, they are criminally negligent, and then they also can provide the list of the organizations calling for the wire taps.
Add it up, and you have the leaders of the unconstitutional criminal ring of torture freaks.
As soon as they pass this legislation, I am headed to the ACLU, they have been following me for three years, Verizon and the IAFF are at the top of my list.