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On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to oppose the Protecting Against International Terrorism Act, S. 2939. Introduced by Senators Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), this bill would reauthorize Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and the “roving wiretap” and “lone wolf” provisions under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that are each currently set to expire on March 15, 2020. The bill would renew these surveillance authorities through December 15, 2027 while largely ignoring the constitutional issues raised by how they have been used.

Over the past several decades cars have become increasingly high tech allowing for computers to take larger roles in the routine functions of the car. Computerized functions have been a boon to consumers, who gain greater reliability and efficiently, but it has also increased the vulnerability to criminal hacking.

More than 230,000 computer systems from across the globe were recently attacked by a vicious ransomware virus, named “Wanna Cry,” that crippled computers for some of America’s largest companies, including FedEx. The virus, one of the largest of its kind, was paid for by the American taxpayers. How did this happen? How did this life threatening tool end up in the hands of seemingly illiterate hackers? Simple answer: government incompetency.

If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear, you just need to trade a little liberty for security against the bad guys. After all, what good is freedom when you’re dead?

Last night’s Republican debate drew a sharp contrast between candidates on the question of how surveillance ought to be used to fight global terrorism. Tempers flared as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio engaged in a heated back and forth over the wisdom of bulk spying in general, and the USA Freedom Act in particular.