Coalition Letter to Senate Regarding Section 603 of Intelligence Authorization Act
CFA and the undersigned human rights and civil liberties organizations and trade associations have significant concerns with a provision in the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (S. 1705). Section 603 of the Act would require all providers of Internet communications services to report to government authorities when they obtain “actual knowledge” of apparent “terrorist activity” on their services—a broad term that could encompass both speech and conduct. Unfortunately, this provision would create strong incentives for providers to over-report on the activity and communications of their users, in order to avoid violating the law. This provision risks bringing wholly innocent people under the scrutiny of the U.S. government in a procedure that includes no limits on the use of the reported information and no safeguards against abuse.
