Thompson Supports Bill to End Dragnet Collection of Americans' Phone Data, Add Meaningful Oversight of Surveillance Programs

Press Release

U.S. Representative Glenn "GT' Thompson today announced his support for H.R. 3361, the USA FREEDOM Act, a bill to restore Americans' privacy rights by ending the government's dragnet collection of phone records and requiring greater oversight, transparency, and accountability under National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance programs.

"This bill is aimed at reworking the PATRIOT Act, to stop NSA's mass data collection and ensure that the constitutional rights of Americans are protected," stated Thompson, a member of the bipartisan House Privacy Caucus.

"Congress did not intend for any law to authorize the indiscriminate collection of personal information of Americans," added Thompson.

H.R. 3361 was introduced with broad bipartisan support. Companion legislation, S. 1599, was recently introduced in the Senate.

"There is a just and legal way to go about preventing terrorism, without violating our individual privacies," Thompson added. "Congress must use its powers to provide oversight of the NSA and all surveillance activities. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to advance these commonsense improvements and vital protections to our civil liberties."

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