The Obama administration has called on the US Congress to pass a bipartisan law reforming the NSA’s spying practises after a court ruled as “illegal” the secretive telephone and Internet surveillance being carried out by the agency.
The Second Circuit Court of Appeal in New York ruled as illegal the telephone and Internet surveillance being done by the National Security Agency (NSA) with Judge Gerard Lynch, on behalf of the three-judge panel, saying the programme “exceeds the scope of what Congress has authorised.”
“We are in the process of evaluating the decision handed down earlier today by the courts,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said.
“Without commenting specifically on that ruling today, I will say the President has been clear that he believes we should end the 215 bulk telephony metadata programme as it currently exists by creating an alternative mechanism to preserve the programme’s essential capabilities without the government holding the bulk data,” he said.
“We continue to work closely with members of Congress from both parties to do just that. And we’ve been encouraged by the good progress on the bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would implement these important reforms known as the USA Freedom Act,” Schultz said.
Following the court ruling, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid called on the Congress to pass the bipartisan USA Freedom Act reforming the NSA’s spying practices before the act authorising them expires on June 1.
