Bulk Collection Foes Pan USA Freedom Act

More than three dozen groups opposing bulk data collection have told the Senate it needs to strengthen the USA Freedom Act that passed the House in May.

They argue that the House compromise version of the bill to end bulk collection of data by the National Security Agency and other government agencies was too "watered down" and could still allow for far too much collection of data.

Those groups, who definitely support ending bulk collection, were unable to support the compromise bill.

In a letter to Senate leaders, the groups, which included New America's Open Technology Institute (OTI), Free Press and the ACLU, said that the Senate version needs to be improved, first and foremost by effectively banning bulk collection. They argue that it could still allow for what amounts to data dragnets.

"The bill’s overbroad and open-ended definition of 'specific selection term' could abusively be read to authorize collection of the records of thousands or millions of innocent Americans," they argue. "For example, it could conceivably allow the use of a selection term as broad as a zip code, all of the gmail.com Internet domain, or all of Verizon’s premises." Unless the definition is narrowed, they say, they can't support the bill.