Update on where things stand on FISA: this deal is a win. We got the House to back down from an 18 month extension, buying us time to negotiate on real reforms. I'll be fighting like hell for reforms that put your privacy first, and will have more to share soon.
A tweet from Representative Thomas Massie that reads: I just viewed 2 Top Secret FISA docs. 1) FISA Court opinion that raises serious concerns about FBI implementation of FISA 702. 2) letter by Senator Wyden describing a secret government interpretation of FISA law. The Constitution requires I vote No on FISA 702 reauthorization.
I sent a classified letter to House and Senate colleagues about a secret interpretation of surveillance law that every American should be concerned about.
Representative Massie is right. The Constitution requires EVERY member to vote against a clean reauthorization.
My bill, the Government Surveillance Reform Act, would close all of these loopholes and finally provide real privacy for Americans. Congress must pass the reforms in this bill and restore Americans’ rights against advances in AI and surveillance tech.
The federal government – ICE, FBI, and more – is spying on you without a warrant.
This week, Congress will decide whether Kash Patel, Stephen Miller and Trump can keep spying on Americans. If that scares you (it should) this thread is for you.
An important new bill from @wyden.senate.gov and @balint.house.gov would finally give some teeth to the law that’s supposed to prevent newsroom raids and seizures of journalists’ files.
Tell your lawmakers to support it with our action center.
Kash Patel refused to deny that the FBI is buying up Americans' location data. This is a shocking end run around the 4th amendment and exactly why we need to pass real privacy reforms NOW.
Sen. Wyden: Can you commit to not buying Americans' location data?
Kash Patel: The FBI uses all tools to do our mission
Just so we're all clear, this is a war crime and would be punishable by life or death under U.S. law.
The government can legally scoop up and read Americans' emails and texts, track everywhere they go, and feed huge amounts of data into AI without court oversight. Next month, Congress will have a chance to rein it all in. I'm leading a bipartisan bill to restore real privacy.
I've long been sounding the alarm on Section 702 of FISA, and secret, legal loopholes the government uses to spy on Americans. The program is up for reauthorization in April and I'll be fighting like hell to make sure the current program doesn’t get rubber stamped.
Turns out lawlessness is not a winning strategy. See you at Nuremberg 2.0
DHS is abusing administrative subpoenas to target and silence its critics. @repespaillat.bsky.social and I will be introducing legislation that would make this practice illegal and help end these authoritarian abuses.
When I wrote Section 230 I did so knowing it would be critical for protecting free speech online. 30 years later and it’s one of the last things standing in the way of Republican censorship of the internet. Here’s to many more years of defending this vital safeguard of free speech.
Really enjoyed chatting more with @tressiemcphd.bsky.social about how the federal government is weaponizing private data. Privacy has become a life-and-death issue, and I have a plan to rein the government in. Thread:
I am. But there are three things at play here regarding ICE collecting private data. Quick rundown on the issue, why you should be paying attention, and what I'm doing about it:
I wrote section 230 to protect user speech, not a company's own speech. I've long said AI chatbot outputs are not protected by 230 and that it is not a close call. Given that the Trump administration is going to the mat to protect pedophiles, states should step in to hold Musk and X accountable.
Reminding everyone for no particular reason that Section 230 is one of the last things standing between free speech online and Trump having control over everything you see and say on the internet
I ♥️ encryption
The Roberts Court just created second-class citizenship, the latest horror from a majority hell-bent on rolling back Reconstruction. The next Democratic administration must expand and reform the Court to save our democracy. I have the comprehensive bill to do it.
The Senate just passed my bill by UC to release this report to the public, to end this cover-up by CISA. Now the House needs to pass my bill so the public can see how shockingly insecure our phone system is. Then the government must hold phone companies accountable for failing cybersecurity 101.
Paramount just paid Trump a bribe for merger approval. When Democrats retake power, I’ll be first in line calling for federal charges. In the meantime, state prosecutors should make the corporate execs who sold out our democracy answer in court, today.
The passage of the Privacy Act came in the wake of the McCarthy era—one of the darkest periods in American history, marked by unceasing ideological warfare and a government run amok, obsessed with constructing vast record systems to house files on hundreds of thousands of individuals and organizations. Secret dossiers on private citizens were the primary tool for suppressing free speech, assembly, and opinion, fueling decades’ worth of sedition prosecutions, loyalty oaths, and deportation proceedings. Countless writers, artists, teachers, and attorneys saw their livelihoods destroyed, while civil servants were routinely rounded up and purged as part of the roving inquisitions.
NEW: Senate Democrats are pushing to reform major aspects of the Privacy Act, including the long-panned "routine use" exemption. The law was passed 50 years ago amid rampant government abuses and rising public fears that mirror many of those rattling Americans today.
www.wired.com/story/democr...
I wrote section 230 to protect the little guys and the upstarts like Bluesky. Repealing section 230 only helps Meta, Musk, and Donald Trump.
@wyden.senate.gov introduces a bill to require the FCC to issue cybersecurity requirements for telecoms, including minimum security standards, annual testing (+ fixes), annual audits, & annual reports: www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-r...
FCC already considering new rules: bsky.app/profile/eric...
Not only are sleazy data brokers jeopardizing Americans' personal privacy on a daily basis, they're also posing a massive threat to our national security and troops abroad. I'm not going to stop sounding the alarm on the urgent need for Congress and the FTC to rein in data brokers.
When it comes to violation of Americans’ privacy, the overturn of Roe has pushed our country to a crisis point. I wrote about how we got here, and what needs to be done to protect women in post-Roe America. Check it out:
Congrats!!
Nearly every single American was affected by the UnitedHealth Group hack earlier this year. Patients deserve to know their most personal health care data is being protected with bare minimum cybersecurity standards. I just introduced a bill to make that a reality.
will be skeeting less as I start as a tech policy advisor for Sen. Wyden today
New from 404 Media: two of the biggest safe lock manufacturers have backdoor codes. Available to police and a target for spies. Turns out, the DoD knows about the codes, bans the locks for government use, but deliberately withheld that info from the public www.404media.co/massively-po...
