US has no plans to stop e-surveillance
WASHINGTON: New revelations about the scope of government surveillance elicited some bipartisan criticism in Congress on Friday, but beyond the bluster, prospects for a legislative response to curtail monitoring of internet and telephone communications appear remote.
Advocates of Congressional intervention say public pressure from fresh disclosures could revive legislation to at least force more transparency in the government's surveillance programmes.
"The timing has never been better than to revisit our past decisions," Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, said on Friday. But the main vehicle for such changes - a reauthorization of the 1978 law that created the foreign intelligence surveillance court - passed in December and will not come back for renewal for five years.
When the reauthorization was passed, the Senate voted down a series of amendments that would have forced transparency or curtailed surveillance.
And the voices that most matter - Congressional leaders and senior lawmakers on the intelligence committees - have shown few qualms about the programmes, lending them solid support. Attempts to address the surveillance programmes could be made during the consideration of other legislation, like the annual defence policy bill that should reach the House floor this month and the Senate in September.
EVEN THOUGH
Former CIA worker says he leaked US surveillance information
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| Leaked |
WASHINGTON: The British newspaper, The Guardian, on Sunday revealed the identity of the source of its information for a series of articles on surveillance practices by the NationalSecurity Agency.
In an article on its website, the newspaper identified the source as Edward Snowden, 29, former technical assistant for the Central Intelligence Agency who has worked at the NSA as an employee of outside contractors.
The British newspaper said it was revealing Mr Snowden's identity at his request. It said he had decided from the moment he chose to disclose top-secret documents to the public, revealing the highly secretive data surveillance programs, that he would not remain anonymous.
"I have no intention of hiding who I am," he was quoted as saying, "because I know I have done nothing wrong." But the newspaper said he was also braced for the United States government to "demonize" him.
The Guardian said that Mr Snowden was working at the NSA office in Hawaii three weeks ago when he made final preparations for his disclosures. It said he copied the documents, then advised a supervisor that he needed to be away for "a couple of weeks," saying he required medical treatment.
In an article on its website, the newspaper identified the source as Edward Snowden, 29, former technical assistant for the Central Intelligence Agency who has worked at the NSA as an employee of outside contractors.
The British newspaper said it was revealing Mr Snowden's identity at his request. It said he had decided from the moment he chose to disclose top-secret documents to the public, revealing the highly secretive data surveillance programs, that he would not remain anonymous.
"I have no intention of hiding who I am," he was quoted as saying, "because I know I have done nothing wrong." But the newspaper said he was also braced for the United States government to "demonize" him.
The Guardian said that Mr Snowden was working at the NSA office in Hawaii three weeks ago when he made final preparations for his disclosures. It said he copied the documents, then advised a supervisor that he needed to be away for "a couple of weeks," saying he required medical treatment.
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