Campaign Seeks to Dry Out the National Security Agency
"The American surveillance state has an Achilles Heel," organizers of the OffNow campaign say. "We can thwart mass surveillance without relying on Congress or [the] Supreme Court" by passing legislation that stops "the flow of state supplied water and electricity to federal agencies conducting mass, warrantless surveillance."“The American surveillance state has an Achilles Heel,” organizers of the OffNow campaign say. “We can thwart mass surveillance without relying on Congress or [the] Supreme Court” by passing legislation that stops “the flow of state supplied water and electricity to federal agencies conducting mass, warrantless surveillance.”
The campaign began in 2013. “These spy-programs cannot continue to expand without participation and assistance from the state and local level,” the organizers continue.
In addition to the “banning [of] material support” for surveillance described above, the campaign is focused on three legislative goals:
2. Prohibiting warrantless data sharing. In the Bush-era, the federal government enacted numerous laws largely turning state and local law enforcement agents into warrantless data transmitters for the national surveillance state, primarily via SOD and Fusion Centers. OffNow works to pass laws via ballot measures and regular legislation to prohibit such activities.
3. Ending warrantless location tracking. Through the use of “Stingrays” and other similar tools, federal and local agencies illegally collect location information from your cellphone. Once collected, these agencies share this information back and forth. Police at the local level also use license-plate readers as tracking devices. OffNow supports legislation to restrict and eventually eliminate these practices.
4. Stopping warrantless drone spying. Drones can serve as valuable tools, but in the hands of law enforcement, they can quickly become a tool of abuse. OffNow works to support legislation restricting or eliminating the use of drones by state and local entities.
See the campaign here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
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