Wikimedia Foundation, ACLU, and Others Sue National Security Agency (NSA) and Justice Dept. Over Mass Surveillance Program

From the Wikimedia Foundation:

Today, the Wikimedia Foundation is filing suit against the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the United States. The lawsuit challenges the NSA’s mass surveillance program, and specifically its large-scale search and seizure of internet communications — frequently referred to as “upstream” surveillance. Our aim in filing this suit is to end this mass surveillance program in order to protect the rights of our users around the world. We are joined by eight other organizations and represented by theAmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
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Our case today challenges the NSA’s use of upstream surveillance conducted under the authority of the 2008 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act (FAA). Upstream surveillance taps the internet’s “backbone” to capture communications with “non-U.S. persons.” The FAA authorizes the collection of these communications if they fall into the broad category of “foreign intelligence information” that includes nearly any information that could be construed as relating to national security or foreign affairs. The program casts a vast net, and as a result, captures communications that are not connected to any “target,” or may be entirely domestic. This includes communications by our users and staff.

Read the Complete Announcement 
See Also: NY Times Op Ed by Jimmy Wales and Lila Tretikov: “Stop Spying on Wikipedia Users”
List of Nine Organizations Filing Complaint
Wikimedia Foundation
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Human Rights Watch Amnesty International USA
Pen American Center
Global Fund For Women
The Nation Magazine
The Rutherford Institute
Washington Office On Latin America
Full Text of Complaint

  Wikimedia v. NSA Complaint

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, News, Patrons and Users