On June 4, 2015, President Obama and his administration signed into law the U.S.A. Freedom Act, which “reform[s] the authorities of the Federal Government to require the production of certain business records, conduct electronic surveillance, use pen registers and trap and trace devices, and use other forms of information gathering for foreign intelligence, counterterrorism, and criminal purposes, and for other purposes.” So what does this mean? It means that finally, after the unleash of the Snowden Report back in 2012, the Federal Government is amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 and limiting the National Security Administration’s (NSA) ability to collect bulk data from U.S. citizens. The Act requires telephone companies to continue to collect and store telephone records and data in the same way that they do now, but now, instead of simply supplying that same information to the NSA, the telephone companies would only be required to turn over the information in response to a request that has been previously approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). Some skeptics believe this may not be enough to stop the bulk data collection. The passage of this Act also restored three sections of the Patriot Act, which sunset last week, allowing the Federal Government to continue certain surveillance efforts for national security purposes. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said “It’s historical. It’s the first major overhaul of government surveillance in decades.” While the legislation has been passed, and politicians seem hopeful, only time will tell whether something like this can truly restore the American public’s trust in the Federal Government.
