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Check out these articles and blog posts to learn more about exactly how these amendments we just helped pass will curtail the NSA’s dragnet program. It’s exciting stuff!
No matter what happens in Congress, though, the real battle is raging on the web. In the weeks to come we’ll be redoubling our efforts to Reset the Net, and kick the likes of the NSA off the Internet for good.
Overview from Spencer Ackerman in The Guardian:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/20/house-bans-nsa-backdoor-search-surveillance
Marcy Wheeler explains some of what others are missing on how these Amendments will also affect the FBI and the CIA: http://www.emptywheel.net/2014/06/20/massie-lofgren-would-shut-down-all-back-door-searches-under-section-702/
Blog post form our friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation:https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/06/eff-statement-massie-lofgren-amendment-passing-house
Great analysis from Trevor Timm of the Freedom of the Press Foundation:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/20/congress-obama-nsa-reform-obama-senate
The New York Times summarizes the changes as well:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/21/us/politics/house-votes-to-curb-nsa-scrutiny-of-americans-communications.html
For our take, check out this email we sent to our members after the votes were tallied:
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Dear Fight for the Future member,
You did it! Late last night — after they were bombarded by calls from FFTF members and many others — the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to cut funding for some of the NSA’s most nefarious backdoor spying programs.
There’s no question about it. The tides are turning. We didn’t just win this vote, we won it by a landslide. 293-123.
Our movement is showing it’s power, and organized Internet users are once again proving to be a more formidable force than the U.S. government (or any of the pundits) expected.
We still have a long way to go. No matter what happens in Congress, we will need to continue our Reset the Net effort to secure the web through technology. As we know all too well, governments often bend and break the rules they set for themselves, and so far the reforms on the table in Congress don’t do nearly enough to protect the rights of people outside the U.S.
But one thing is certain: we are gaining ground, and the NSA is losing it. We’re beating them back with technology, pushing politicians to cut their funding, and dragging their secretive programs out into the sunlight for all to see.
This vote in congress didn’t happen by magic. So many of us have spoken out in the last year and made it clear in no uncertain terms that mass surveillance is not okay. Our movement has become too big for Congress to ignore. We forced them to go on record supporting change.
We still have much work to do, but today is a day worth celebrating! More soon.
Sincerely,
-Tiffiniy, Holmes, Kevin, and Evan
Fight for the Future
Benjamin Ekpenyong-Tiffiniy, Holmes, Kevin, and Evan
Fight for the Future
