As the Snowden leaks (and the materials that the Electronic Frontier Foundation has compelled the DoJ to publish) show, the NSA is out of control. The laws that supposedly limit its activities are routinely flouted; the court that is supposed to oversee its activities is a rubber-stamp machine; and the supposed Congressional oversight of its activities are kept in the dark and denied any real authority.
Ten lawmakers in the Senate and the House have proposed eight bills to reform American surveillance laws. While it's nice that Congress has woken up to the dangers of all this spying, that's still a lot of legislation to keep track of! Thankfully, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Mark M. Jaycox, a policy analyst and legislative assistant, has compiled a cheat sheet with commentary on each of the bills, showing how they relate to one another. Can't tell the players without a scorecard!
Section 215 Bills:
Sen. Patrick Leahy: The FISA Accountability and Privacy Protection Act of 2013
Reps. John Conyers and Justin Amash: The LIBERT-E Act
Ending Secret Law:
Reps. Adam Schiff and Todd Rokita: The Ending Secret Law Act
Corporate Disclosure:
Sen. Al Franken: The Surveillance Transparency Act of 2013
Reps. Rick Larsen and Justin Amash: The Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2013
Restructuring the FISA Court:
Rep. Adam Schiff: The Presidential Appointment of FISA Court Judges Act
