In an era where public concern over omnipresent and oppressive government surveillance is at an historical high, partly attributable to Edward Snowden’s National Security Agency (NSA) revelations, nine of the world’s biggest tech companies are fighting for the public’s right to internet freedom. The coalition, made-up of Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, AOL, Dropbox and Evernote, is presently lobbying legislators in Washington, D.C to curtail the government’s surveillance programs and vote on the USA Freedom Act. If passed, the bill will greatly reduce the government’s spying capabilities concerning online emails and internet metadata. The bill also urges more transparency from the government apropos disclosing agency demands for data from tech companies.

An open letter to the U.S. Senate, the coalition stated in the first paragraph: “The Senate has an opportunity this week to vote on the bipartisan USA Freedom Act.  We urge you to pass the bill, ‪which both protects national security and reaffirms America’s commitment to the freedoms we all cherish.”

The coalition hopes the letter will expedite a passing of the bill due to the fact that if the USA Freedom Act might not be as favored by a Senate controlled by the Republican Party, which will happen in January next year. The letter appeals to the current Senate and the matter of its longevity by saying, “Now is the time to move forward on meaningful change to our surveillance programs.  We encourage you to support the USA Freedom Act.”

In May the House of Representatives with bipartisan support passed the USA Freedom Act, and it is now set for a vote today, November 18. The outcome will send a strong message to the US public, and the world at large, a fact the coalition didn’t fail to point out: “the Senate has the opportunity to send a strong message of change to the world and encourage other countries to adopt similar protections.”

 photo credit: Tim Rich and Lesley Katon via photopin cc