Getty U.S. Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) (C) speaks as U.S. Sen. Jon Wyden (D-OR) (R) listen during a press conference on Capitol Hill November 18, 2010 in Washington, DC.
President Obama recently welcomed a public debate about how to protect both national security and privacy rights in the context of the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance activities. Congress should not squander this opportunity to have an open, transparent discussion about the limits of executive power and the surveillance of Americans. We believe that, when presented with all the facts, most Americans would agree with us that the White House should end the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records and instead obtain this information directly from phone companies, using regular court orders based on individual suspicion.