More than 40 civil liberties groups are urging Senate leaders to pass legislation that would put a halt to the data collection practices of the National Security Agency (NSA).
A letter penned by the privacy groups urged legislators to pass Sen. Patrick Leahy's USA Freedom Act in an effort to quickly put an end the bulk collection of phone records by the agency. They believe “further reform is still needed,” according to the letter.
The 43 organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union and Center for Democracy and Technology, additionally would prefer that Senate leaders not alter the bill to include language that would allow companies to hold on to customer data longer than they currently do.
What's more, the letter encouraged lawmakers to make the passing of the bill “a key legislative priority for September.”
