Democrats in the House of Representatives chose to let a temporary surveillance law expire on February 16, rather than make it permanent.

At issue was whether the permanent version should include retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that were sued for invasion of privacy after helping U.S. intelligence agencies conduct warrantless surveillance.

Surveillance efforts will still continue against targets that have already been approved. But eavesdropping on new targets would have to meet the standards in place before last August. Those standards require that probable cause be established that a target was connected to a terrorist group.

Republican proponents of warrantless wiretapping claim that lawsuits could put telecom companies out of business. A Democratic Senator correctly noted, “It’s nothing more than a scare tactic designed to avoid legal and political accountability and keep Americans in the dark about the administration’s massive lawbreaking.”

It's time to see the House stand up for the rule of law.

Click here to take action on this issue.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

delicious | digg | newsvine | technorati