The Snowden Leaks One Year Later: OTG and Partners Reflect

June 5, 2014 Open The Government

The Snowden revelations have brought dozens of revelations to light about the breadth and legality of the National Security Agency's surveillance programs. In a Roll Call op-ed published today, Executive Director Patrice McDermott notes that while the public now knows much more about these programs, the reform efforts that are taking shape in Congress threaten to continue to leave the public in the dark. 

The revelations have continued to this day. As a result, legislation that makes major changes to bulk collection of call records just passed the House — although it remains possible that it, too, will be secretly interpreted to allow surveillance of millions of Americans.
Our partners' statements on the anniversary of the Snowden leaks are linked to and excerpted from below. 
 
Center for Democracy and Technology

"Our team and an unprecedented array of civil society and private sector coalitions came together to move closer to the government surveillance reforms we need."

Electronic Frontier Foundation
EFF and 33 other organizations urge governments to adopt a set on international princples that would "establish clear guidelines to ensure government surveillance activities are consistent with human rights." EFF also has a list of 65 things the public learned from the Snowden leaks. 
 

"The best way for the government to stop leaks is to enact meaningful and effective whistleblower protection. It is appalling that a year after Snowden’s history-changing disclosures, national security and intelligence contractors still have no viable channels through which they can expose fraud, waste, abuse and illegality." View GAP's video here. 

 
 

 

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