In the wake of revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) has broken through many Internet privacy protections, Representative Rush D. Holt (D-NJ) has introduced legislation to prohibit the NSA from building backdoors into encryption mechanisms, according to The New York Times. While Rep. Holt actually introduced the legislation to the House in July under the name “Surveillance State Repeal Act,” recent news may bring this bill more attention.

Still, that's not saying much for its success. The bill mainly asks for the total repeal of both the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. Government transparency tool Govtrack.us currently estimates that the bill has a zero percent chance of getting through committee review and thus a zero percent chance of being enacted. (Govtrack.us notes that in 2011-2013, only 11 percent of bills made it past committee and only about three percent were enacted). Without any co-sponsors, the bill even has an uphill battle to see the light of day.

For now, Rep. Holt's legislation is going through the process at a time when doubt about the necessity of the NSA's spying techniques is palpably growing both in Congress and among businesses. A one-sheet summary of the bill, posted on July 24, 2013, specifically states that it would “[p]rohibit the government from mandating that electronic device or software manufacturers build in so-called 'back doors' to allow the government to bypass encryption or other privacy technology built into said hardware and/or software.”

The bill would also increase the terms of the FISC judges from seven to 10 years, and it would “mandate that the FISC utilize technologically competent Special Masters (technical and legal experts) to help determine the veracity of government claims about privacy, minimization, and collection capabilities employed by the US government in FISA applications.”

On Friday afternoon, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a statement about the leaks saying, “[T]he fact that NSA’s mission includes deciphering enciphered communications is not a secret and is not news.” Still, the office cautioned that the recent revelations offered specific and classified details that give information “to our adversaries about the specific techniques we are using to try to intercept their communications in our attempts to keep America and our allies safe and to provide our leaders with the information they need to make difficult and critical national security decisions.”