Last week, cowards from both sides of the aisle caved into America’s lawless spy agencies and made sure that Congress would not get a chance to vote on amendments to the renewal of Section 702,
the rule that has allowed the NSA to conduct mass, warrantless
surveillance on Americans in secret, without meaningful oversight or
limits.
It was a crushing defeat for anyone who cares about civil liberties, the
rule of law, and the Bill of Rights. In a stirring open letter,
Electronic Frontier Foundation executive director Cindy Cohn (previously)
gives us all the furious post-game analysis we need: people everywhere,
of every political persuasion, are waking up to the dangers of the mass
surveillance that the spies poisoned the digital world with, and their
time is running out. More people than ever, from more walks of life,
stood up for limits on Section 702, and that number will only grow from
here on in.
The legal challenges to NSA spying refuse to die. Toolsmiths are
hardening their systems against surveillance. And the NSA’s dirty
laundry keeps getting aired. Lather, rinse, repeat. A better world is
possible.
