opinion

Congress needs to break secrecy over phone metadata

On June 1, Section 215 of the Patriot Act will expire unless reauthorized by Congress. Section 215 is the authority, claimed by the NSA (National Security Agency) since 2006, that allows the government to collect and store mass phone metadata.

What is metadata? Metadata is essentially data that describes or summarizes other data. Piecing together metadata can show, in great detail, what a person is saying or doing. With cellphones, they can not only track who you talk to, but where you go. Obtained documents and interviews with intelligence officials reveal that the NSA gathers nearly 5 billion records a day on the whereabouts of cellphones around the world.

Over the past month, Republican leaders of the House Intelligence Committee have organized closed door meetings between Congressional members and national intelligence representatives. Yet again, they have opted to make their case in secret, away from the eyes and ears of the same public they wish to continue spying on. The private nature of these meetings highlight the intelligence community’s clear lack of desire for any sort of open dialog.

In a March intelligence meeting, the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, stated “If that tool [data collection] is taken away from us... and some untoward incident happens that could have been thwarted if we had had it…. I hope that everyone involved in that decision assumes the responsibility.” However, it is worth noting that there is no evidence indicating that their program has stopped any act of terror.

According to a study by the New America Foundation, mass data collection “was not essential to preventing attacks”. The study states that the bulk collection program “has had no discernible impact on preventing acts of terrorism.” While another panel, appointed by President Obama himself, recommended significant reforms to Section 215. In their report, the president’s review board stated that they “recommend that Congress should end such storage” and that “the current storage by the government of bulk meta-data creates potential risks to public trust, personal privacy, and civil liberty.”

Some have chosen to wield the “I’ve got nothing to hide” argument, in which the person shrugs off the NSA’s spying activities by insisting that they are not saying or doing anything that they are not comfortable in sharing with others. The problem with this argument is that we all have things we wish to keep private. Even the most open person doesn’t wish to share every intimate detail with the world. There are sensitive subjects that we can only feel comfortable sharing with our spouses, our family or a selection of close friends. There are also necessary confidential discussions between a doctor and a patient, a lawyer and a client, or a journalist and a source, just to name a few.

The opposition towards Section 215 is just one step in reforming the government’s privacy overreach. They are depending on the collective indifference of the American people in order to keep their bulk data collection ongoing. But all it takes to stop it is to open your mouth and say, “no more”. This is a big deal, and there is no better time to face it than right now.

Ty Landers lives in Fort Myers.