On Tuesday this week, Congress passed The USA Freedom Act, an NSA surveillance reform bill to end the bulk collection of American’s phone records. This is all thanks to Edward Snowden, who blew the whistle about Orwellian-style surveillance on citizens two years ago. Since then, Snowden has been in hiding from the U.S government while pressure has been put on the Obama Administration at home to relax these mass spying policies.
This will be the country’s most significant surveillance reform since 1978. Senators voted 67-32 to pass the Act, but Obama himself didn’t seem too pleased with the decision. He commented that he would“work expeditiously to ensure our national security professionals again have the full set of vital tools they need to continue protecting the country”. It sounds like the President opposes the USA Freedom Act, but that shouldn’t surprise any of us. For now though, it’s cause for celebration for all civil rights activists and ordinary Americans who do not believe that liberty must be sacrificed in place of security.
So what does Edward Snowden think about the USA Freedom Act? In short, it’s a start, but this is just the beginning. In an exclusive interview with The Guardian (above) about this step in the right direction, Snowden says: “My work is not finished. If I end up in chains in Guantanamo, I can live with that.” Hats off to you Ed, your dedication to the cause is appreciated.
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