Washington, D.C. – Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced nine amendments to reform U.S. surveillance programs, enhance protections for American’s personal information and improve transparency regarding intelligence activities. Wyden and Paul called on Republican leaders to allow votes on amendments to strengthen privacy protections, rather than forcing votes on amendments that would water down the USA Freedom Act.

The joint amendments would:
·        Amendment 1446: Require the government to get a warrant before collecting personal information from third parties
·        Amendment 1441: Raise the standard for government collection of call records under FISA from “reasonable grounds” to “probable cause”
·         Amendment 1442: Limit the government’s ability to use information gathered under intelligence authorities in unrelated criminal cases
·         Amendment 1443: Make it easier to challenge the use of illegally obtained surveillance information in criminal proceedings
·         Amendment 1454: Prohibit the government from requiring hardware and software companies to deliberately weaken encryption and other security features
·         Amendment 1444: Clarify the bill’s definition of “specific selection terms”
·         Amendment 1445: Require court approval for National Security Letters
·         Amendment 1455: Prohibit the government from conducting warrantless reviews of Americans’ email and other communications under section 702 of the Foreign intelligence Surveillance Act
·         Amendment 1460: Strengthen the bill with additional provisions from previously introduced surveillance reform legislation.