Silicon Valley sees hope in battle against NSA

Technology companies and civil liberties groups are becoming more optimistic that the Senate will take major steps to rein in the National Security Agency this year.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is expected to introduce a bill July 29 that would prevent the NSA from obtaining broad swaths of information about people’s phone calls and also create a stronger advocate for civil liberties on the secretive federal court that oversees surveillance activities, which currently only hears arguments from the government. Leahy’s bill also adds new provisions on transparency that would represent big wins for tech firms. It would allow tech companies to disclose more details about the government requests for data they receive, and require the surveillance court to issue clear summaries of how its opinions would impact civil liberties. Tech firms say the Leahy bill, if it is approved by the Senate, would be a big win after a setback in the House, which approved a bill that disappointed them.