ACTION ALERT: Crucial surveillance votes this week

For years, Campaign for Liberty supporters like you have worked to roll-back the surveillance state and restore the Fourth Amendment. And this week, we may see those efforts pay off as the House of Representatives will vote on legislation requiring the FBI and other government agencies get a warrant before they collect our internet browsing and search history. Let me provide you with more details. As you probably know, two weeks ago, the Senate passed H.R. 6172, legislation reauthorizing parts of USA Freedom Act. But before passing the bill, the Senate added an amendment requiring the FISA Court appoint counsel to represent the interest of targets in certain cases, such as those dealing with political campaigns or candidates. With the addition of the amendment, the bill was sent back to the House for a vote, which will take place either tomorrow or Thursday. Before voting on the bill, the House will consider an amendment offered by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH). The Lofgren-Davidson Amendment changes Section 215 of the USA FREEDOM Act to require the government obtain a warrant before seizing and reviewing an American citizen’s internet search and browsing history. Often referred to as the Deep State’s Crown Jewel, Section 215 is the provision of law federal agencies claim gives them the authority to conduct the mass surveillance and bulk data collection programs revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013. Stopping the government from using Section 215 to justify the seizing Americans’ internet search histories would be a major step forward toward ending unconstitutional surveillance. So please contact your representative now at 202-224-3121 and tell them to support the Lofgren-Davidson Amendment prohibiting the government from seizing your internet browsing and search history without a warrant. And please pass this on to your pro-liberty family and friends so they can get involved with our efforts to roll back the surveillance state. The vote could come as early as tomorrow so please call your representative ASAP! A similar amendment – the Wyden-Daines Amendment – came within one vote of passing the Senate two weeks ago. And two senators who would have voted for the amendment missed the vote, so if the amendment passes the House, the bill will go back to the Senate once again where it has a good chance of passing and striking a blow to the pro-spying statists. I have heard from Capitol Hill sources there is a strong likelihood that the Lofgren-Davidson Amendment could pass, but we cannot take anything for granted. Supporters of mass surveillance in both parties are going all out to derail the amendment. We need to flood the House offices with phone calls demanding that representatives finally start putting our rights ahead of the government’s demands for more power and demand for more of our personal information! So please call your representative at 202-224-3121 and tell them to vote for the Lofgren-Davidson Amendment prohibiting the government from collecting internet search and browsing history without a warrant. And please pass this on to your pro-liberty family and friends so they can get involved with our efforts to roll back the surveillance state. Internet searches and browsing history reveal intimate personal information about an individual’s life that government officials have no right to know unless they have obtained a warrant demonstrating probable cause that collecting the information was relevant to a criminal investigation. The evidence shows mass surveillance and bulk data collection do not keep us safe from terrorism.  In fact, the government’s spying authority has technically not been in place now for almost 2 months and not a single American life has been lost as a result. So please call your representative now at 202-224-3121 and tell them to vote for the Lofgren-Davidson Amendment. And please pass this on to your pro-liberty family and friends so they can get involved with our efforts to roll back the surveillance state. And if you can, please chip-in $100, $75, $50, $25, or whatever you can afford to help Campaign for Liberty beat back statism in all areas. Remember the vote may come as early as tomorrow so please call your representative ASAP!