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ACLU sues US government over metadata surveillance program

D

Dari

Lifer
I hope they win...

link

The American Civil Liberties Union has announced it is suing the US government to put an end to the National Security Agency's blanket collection of communications records, which was exposed last week in the leak of a secret court order demanding the call records and metadata of all Verizon business customers on an "ongoing, daily basis."

The ACLU's is the second legal challenge to surface since multiple disclosures revealed the massive scale of the agency's surveillance activities. The first came from Larry Klayman, a Verizon customer and former chair of government watchdog organization Judicial Watch. The ACLU's lawsuit makes use of the organization's status as a Verizon customer to take aim at the NSA's metadata program, which uses secret interpretations of the Patriot Act's "business records" section to authorize the indiscriminate collection of call logs, geolocation data, and other non-content "telephony metadata" from millions of wireless subscribers inside the US. Statements from officials have also indicated that the program is not limited to Verizon, and has been reauthorized on a recurring three-month basis since 2007.

"ONE OF THE LARGEST SURVEILLANCE EFFORTS EVER LAUNCHED BY A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT AGAINST ITS OWN CITIZENS."

ACLU deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer calls the program "one of the largest surveillance efforts ever launched by a democratic government against its own citizens," describing its effect as "the equivalent of requiring every American to file a daily report with the government of every location they visited, every person they talked to on the phone, the time of each call, and the length of every conversation." In the complaint, the ACLU claims it has been specifically harmed by the surveillance, because it "gives the government a comprehensive record of our associations and public movements, revealing a wealth of detail about our familial, political, professional, religious and intimate associations," and also "is likely to have a chilling effect on whistle-blowers and others" that might be dissuaded from contacting the organization for legal assistance.

The ACLU's previous NSA lawsuit, from 2008, was dismissed in a 5-4 decision on the grounds that it did not have legal standing to sue, since there was no way to prove it had been targeted. But with the leaked court order clearly showing that Verizon business customers have had their metadata collected, the organization is hoping that will no longer be a problem.

The lawsuit doesn't guarantee a constitutional ruling, however. Previous attempts like Clapper vs Amnesty and Jewel vs NSA have been stonewalled by the US government's repeated invocation of "state secrets," even though the Obama administration had promised to scale back its use of the privilege. The new lawsuit comes that same day that a bipartisan group of senators announced a new bill that would require the government to declassify the secret court rulings which authorize the NSA's warrantless metadata collection.
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I hope they stop Obama from monitoring our Google searches.


big_brother_obama_is_watching_you_greeting_card-rebffc2f33a944a10b033e19bd0df5fed_xvuak_8byvr_216.jpg
 
Gotta say, I've largely been an opponent to some of the more radical things the ACLU has supported over the years.

But on this occasion I'd support them all the way towards becoming their own political party and attaining super majority control of our government if that's what it took to protect civil liberties.

Obama and Republicans are trying to force me to become a "lifelong" member of the ACLU.
 
No big deal, they'll end up selling out the American people on the 4th Amendment like they sold us out with the 2nd.
 
monovillage said:
No big deal, they'll end up selling out the American people on the 4th Amendment like they sold us out with the 2nd.
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the supreme court has been pretty good about the 2nd amendment as of late. heller vs. DC and mcdonald vs. chicago. 2 big wins for 2A.

one can only hope they champion the rights of the people on this as well.
 
Foolish lawsuit. No laws are being violated, no rights are being taken away.

This isn't monitoring of data, it is simply GATHERING of data, big difference.
 
woolfe9998 said:
Well at least there is a chance the SCOTUS can now step in and rule on the Constitutionality of this thing.
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Yes, I agree.

I think people accept too easily that this program will PREVENT death and destruction etc from terrorism. Frankly, I see it as an 'after-the-fact' tool useful only to prosecution and I'm hesitant to abandon civil rights for that. The latter is not to be entirely dismissed, but millions, no billions of peoples' rights infringed upon for the conveneience of LE? I think not. The sacrifice is too great, the unintended consequences too severe, the opportunity for abuse too obvious. Let's repeat history, shall we?

Fern
 
Jaskalas said:
Gotta say, I've largely been an opponent to some of the more radical things the ACLU has supported over the years.

But on this occasion I'd support them all the way towards becoming their own political party and attaining super majority control of our government if that's what it took to protect civil liberties.

Obama and Republicans are trying to force me to become a "lifelong" member of the ACLU.
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Whoa!

OK, the blind pig found found a nut here for once, let's not go crazy.

😉

Fern
 
DCal430 said:
Foolish lawsuit. No laws are being violated, no rights are being taken away.

This isn't monitoring of data, it is simply GATHERING of data, big difference.
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The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
 
DCal430 said:
Foolish lawsuit. No laws are being violated, no rights are being taken away.

This isn't monitoring of data, it is simply GATHERING of data, big difference.
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Good lord D:

You make people riding the short bus with helmuts and drool cups look intelligent.

What does "secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures" mean? (4th Amendment)

That kind of sums up the whole "GATHERING of data" thing.

Fern
 
DCal430 said:
Foolish lawsuit. No laws are being violated, no rights are being taken away.

This isn't monitoring of data, it is simply GATHERING of data, big difference.
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foolish comment.

gathered data is monitored as demonstrated by the various whistleblowers from the NSA... AND internal NSA documents
 
Fern said:
Yes, I agree.

I think people accept too easily that this program will PREVENT death and destruction etc from terrorism. Frankly, I see it as an 'after-the-fact' tool useful only to prosecution and I'm hesitant to abandon civil rights for that. The latter is not to be entirely dismissed, but millions, no billions of peoples' rights infringed upon for the conveneience of LE? I think not. The sacrifice is too great, the unintended consequences too severe, the opportunity for abuse too obvious. Let's repeat history, shall we?

Fern
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agree.

The NSA says this themselves. That the data is only mined AFTER they learn of something.

Well if its only used after they learn something, go out and get a warrant for the people you suspect. Don't grab every single piece of data, and just lie to americans telling them you aren't using it.
 
Nintendesert said:
Support the ACLU and the NRA and cover all your bases for civil liberties!
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This, exactly.

Although maybe I'll start Americans United Against Illegal Troop Quartering just in case.

Nah, not much danger there. If the federal government has a choice between quartering troops for free or spending enormous sums of money to quarter troops, we all know what that choice will be.
 
Genx87 said:
Unless the DoJ does what it has done before. Have the lawsuit blocked on the basis it intrudes on national security.
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This is one of the most insidious parts of these warrantless surveillance programs, the fact that the government has found a way to make an end-run around the courts. In order to sue you need to prove that you were spied on. The list of people they spy on is classified though, so no one has standing to sue. Therefore no one can ever adjudicate if the spying is legal or not.

For a truly rage inducing example of this read here:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/03/Federal_judge_tosses_wiretap_suit/UPI-99281215102605/

Basically an Islamic charity was warrantlessly wiretapped. When they sued the government over the wiretap the FBI screwed up and mistakenly disclosed to them a document that explicitly showed that the foundation was being wiretapped. After doing so the FBI said the document was in fact classified so they needed it back and it couldn't be used as evidence.

After that, the lawsuit was dismissed because Al-Haramain couldn't prove it was being wiretapped despite having seen the evidence with their own eyes.
 
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