ALA calls for passage, signing of the USA Freedom Act

At the American Library Association’s recent Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Philadelphia, the ALA Council passed a resolution calling upon Congress to pass -- and the President to sign -- legislation supporting the reforms embodied in the USA Freedom Act.

In adopting the resolution, the Council reaffirmed the ALA’s commitment to the principles of privacy, open government, governmental transparency and accountability. The ALA has vigorously defended the privacy rights of library users and supported openness, accountability and transparency. The Council noted that the US National Security Agency (NSA) operates multiple classified programs to collect, mine, retain and share with third parties data on US persons who are not under investigation for criminal activity. The data collected includes the activities of library users. The Council also noted that these programs are conducted with minimal oversight and inadequate transparency.