Target: Representative Mike Rogers, Chair of the House Committee on Intelligence
Goal: Gain support for the Email Privacy Act
A new bill introduced to Congress, called the Email Privacy Act, would require a warrant for the government to access personal online communications. United States law does not currently protect private online information from the government, so we need legislation like this to preserve our right to privacy.
Although we tend to think of our email and instant-message conversations as private, it’s not longer a secret that the government considers all of that information subject to screening and recording. Everything we say or do online can be collected and construed as evidence against our character, making us all suspects of crimes that haven’t been committed. This kind of power shouldn’t exist in a democracy.
Thanks to Representatives Kevin Yoder, Tom Graves, and Jared Polis, the Email Privacy Act could help to reign in the surveillance state. Simply requiring a warrant for access to emails and instant-messages would provide much needed oversight for a process that remains completely unregulated. Sign the petition to urge more congressional support for this bill.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Representative Rogers,
The Email Privacy Act would provide much needed oversight for government surveillance. This bill would require a warrant for government access to private emails and electronic communications. This is a protection we should have already. The right to privacy is essential in a democracy, and indiscriminate screening of personal information is a violation of Constitutional rights.
The Email Privacy Act would go a long ways towards regulating the out of control surveillance state. The protection of electronic communication should be no different than the protection of all other communication. Please defend our right to privacy by supporting the Email Privacy Act.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
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