Protect your liberties tell Congress not reauthorize Section 215 of the Patriot Act

From Demand Progress:

Congress is back in Washington after a two-week recess, and reauthorization of the Patriot Act is on the agenda.

According to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the chamber could take up three key sections of the Patriot Act set to expire in June as early as this month1 — including Section 215, which the NSA has exploited to claim unprecedented power to conduct bulk collection of millions of phone calls every single day.

Legislators have yet to settle on their plans, and intelligence agencies are gearing up to make sure these provisions are reauthorized. That's why we need to get loud, and now.

Can you make a quick phone call to your representative and ask that they vote against reauthorizing Section 215 of the Patriot Act?

We can't blame you if you're feeling a sudden sense of déjà vu. While the most questionable provisions of the Patriot Act, like Section 215, were only initially authorized for a fixed number of years, Congress has reauthorized them every single time since passage of the Patriot Act in 2001.

Mass surveillance has violated the privacy of millions of innocent Americans who have never even been suspected or accused of a crime. And according to the White House's own Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, it hasn't made a difference in making us safer.2

Click here to call and tell your representative: continued NSA mass surveillance is a nonstarter. Say no to Section 215 today!

It's super easy — just enter your phone number and zip code, and we'll patch you through to your member of Congress. And if you have an extra moment, just press * instead of hanging up and we’ll connect you to important Judiciary Committee members, who oversee surveillance legislation.

This is a defining moment for our civil liberties, and these phone calls to Congress can really make a difference. Can you call your representative today?

Thanks for taking action.

—David, Daniel, Mark, Sara and the rest of the Demand Progress team

Source:

1. House eyes possible early plans to renew Patriot Act

2. Report on the Telephone Records Program Conducted under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and on the Operations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court