[IP] EFF: Proposal in Congress Would Let Telecoms Off the Hook for Illeg

Begin forwarded message:

From: EFF Press <press@eff.org>
Date: June 18, 2008 4:14:24 PM EDT
To: presslist@eff.org
Subject: [E-B] EFF: Proposal in Congress Would Let Telecoms Off the Hook for Illegal Spying
Reply-To: press@eff.org

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Contact:

Kevin Bankston
  Senior Staff Attorney
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  bankston@eff.org
  +1 415 436-9333 x126

Rebecca Jeschke
  Media Coordinator
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  press@eff.org
  +1 415 436-9333 x125

EFF Speaks Out Against Telecom Immunity Deal

Proposal in Congress Would Let Telecoms Off the Hook for
Illegal Spying

Washington, D.C. - Congress is widely reported to have
struck a deal on legislation to amend the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that includes immunity
for telecommunications companies that helped the government
illegally spy on millions of ordinary Americans. Today,
the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) held a press
conference with the ACLU to emphasize that this much-touted
"compromise" is a sham aimed at letting both the government
and the telecoms off the hook for violating the law and the
Constitution.

"Whatever gloss might be put on it, the so-called
'compromise' on immunity is anything but: the current
proposal is the exact same blanket immunity that the Senate
passed in February and that the House rejected in March,
only with a few new bells and whistles so that political
spinsters can claim that it actually provides meaningful
court review," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kevin
Bankston. "We call on all members of Congress to reject
this sham compromise and maintain the rule of law, rather
than deprive the millions of ordinary Americans whose
privacy rights were violated of their day in court."

EFF is representing the plaintiffs in Hepting v. AT&T, a
class action lawsuit brought on behalf of the millions of
AT&T customers whose private domestic communications and
communications records were illegally handed over to the
National Security Agency (NSA). EFF has been appointed
co-coordinating counsel for all 47 of the outstanding
lawsuits concerning the government's warrantless
surveillance program.

For Kevin Bankston's complete statement on the FISA deal
from today's press conference:
http://www.eff.org/files/filenode//EFF_bankston.pdf

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/06/18

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
_expression_ and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/

    -end-

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