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ACLU Files Suit Against Obama Administration

Lauren Madow |
June 11, 2013 | 3:03 p.m. PDT

Deputy Editor

The ACLU said PRISM is unconstitutional (David Drexler,via Wikimedia Commons)
The ACLU said PRISM is unconstitutional (David Drexler,via Wikimedia Commons)
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration for what it says is the unconstitutional practice of collecting data about private phone calls made in the US.

After former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden leaked information about the N.S.A.'s surveillance program, known as PRISM, administration officials claimed that the program was legal under Section 215--or "business records provision"--of the Patriot Act.

ALSO SEE: Edward Snowden Reveals Himself As NSA Whistleblower

The ACLU said in their complaint that the surveillance program "is akin to snatching every American's address book--with annotations detailing whom we spoke to, when we talked, for how long, and from where."

This suit is unusual for the ACLU, who normally file suit on behalf of others for alleged civil rights violations. In this case, the ACLU has filed on its own behalf, as it is a customer of VBNS communications, which participated in the surveillance program. Their complaint explains that "[The surveillance] allows the government to learn sensitive and privileged information about [the ACLU's] work and clients, and it is likely to have a chilling effect on whistleblowers and others who would otherwise contact Plaintiffs for legal assistance."

ALSO SEE: U.S. Spy Security Admits PRISM Program

In a later statement, the ACLU contended that the surveillance "violates the First Amendment rights of free speech and association as well as the right of privacy protected by the Fourth Amendment."

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) expressed his concerns in a June 6 letter to Attorney General Eric Holder:

As the author of the Patriot Act, I am extremely disturbed by what appears to be an overbroad interpretation of the Act. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) applied for a top secret order to collect the phone records of virtually every call that has been made by Verizon customers. These reports are deeply concerning and raise questions about whether our constitutional rights are secure.

ALSO SEE: NSA's PRISM Surveillance Program Flouts Fourth Amendment

For more on the ACLU's suit, see the Atlantic.

For more Neon Tommy coverage of the NSA surveillance program, go here.

Contact Deputy Editor Lauren Madow here. Follow her here.



 

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