opinion

Patriot Act section goes way too far

Section 215 of the Patriot Act is scheduled to sunset on Monday. This law was secretly interpreted to allow the mass surveillance of who you talk to on the phone. Such information can be deeply intimate and private: Consider, for instance, what you could infer from a record of numerous calls to a local oncology center and pharmacies. Section 215 is a pointless, expensive intrusion into the private life of every American.

On May 22, the Senate voted against extending Section 215. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has indicated he will bring it up again for a last-minute vote on Sunday. I write to encourage local readers to ask their senators, especially McConnell and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, not to extend these surveillance provisions because they run counter to the spirit and letter of the Constitution.

Proponents of extending 215 claim we need more time for debate. We have had two full years for debate since the revelation in 2013 that American call data is under total surveillance. And there has been vigorous debate. The difficulty in extending these provisions in the Senate reflects that. The extension of Section 215 is opposed even by Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, who originally introduced it.

If you think that this infringement of civil liberties buys you security, consider that two reviews (by the President's Review Group and the Privacy and the Civil Liberties Oversight Board) independently concluded that Section 215 has foiled no plots.

Mass surveillance has a chilling effect on freedom of speech and the press, freedom of association and thought. It lays the ground for the oppression of these freedoms. Please call your senators and ask them to let Section 215 expire.

Paul Henrich, Over-the-Rhine