WASHINGTON, May 2 (UPI) -- The ACLU Tuesday warned that a new bill would give U.S. telecom companies immunity for participating in illegal surveillance.
The American Civil Liberties Union was commenting on proposals to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that have been submitted to the U.S. Congress by the Department of Justice and U.S. intelligence community officials. The amendments look like they will pass Congress, but they have infuriated U.S. civil-rights groups.
"Disturbingly, this bill includes complete immunity -- from criminal prosecution as well as civil liability -- for the telecom companies' participation in the National Security Agency's illegal warrantless wiretapping program. The telecom companies provided customer call data on millions of Americans without any suspicion of wrongdoing," the ACLU said in a statement.
"This rush to retroactive immunity for an entire industry in the absence of a full and thorough airing of the facts is unprecedented," the human-rights organization said.
"Congress should not allow the administration to treat innocent Americans as suspects," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Washington legislative office. "It also most certainly should not hand telecom companies a get-out-of-jail-free card for violating their customers' privacy. Our lawmakers must prove that they are working on behalf of their constituents -- not big business."
The ACLU statement indicated that civil-rights groups are likely to go on fighting the legislation even if it is approved by Congress.
