Abdo\'s (2013) Testimony to the American Civil

Abdo's (2013) testimony to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is about the NSA privacy breaches first exposed in depth by Edward Snowden. The speaker accuses the NSA of using intrusive and "in certain respects unlawful" surveillance methods (p. 2). The NSA has also used their surveillance techniques outside as well as inside of the United States. Abdo (2013) speaks directly to the ACLU to outline the scope of the NSA's surveillance program. The overall purpose of the speech is to suggest what role the ACLU can and should play in promoting civil liberties, which is of course the mission of the organization.

Because NSA surveillance is a direct threat to privacy and civil liberties, the subject matter is directly relevant to the core goals of the ACLU. First, the author lists some of the main components of the NSA surveillance program. A few of the components are rooted in legislation like the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act, such as the collection of "telephony data" from "every single phone call into, out of, and within the United States (p. 2). The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is another law that allows the NSA to conduct surveillance. Specifically, FISA authorizes the NSA to monitor electronic communications "to an extent not previously understood" (p. 2). The NSA has undermined banking security and other encryption tools governing international and domestic commerce. This presents a clear threat to ordinary American consumers, who are thereby at increased risk for identity theft or worse.

According to the author, the ACLU must evaluate the extent of the NSA program and act quickly to uphold the lawful rights of Americans entitled to freedom of association, freedom of expression, privacy of communications, and general privacy. Specific legal documents at stake include the United States Constitution the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

One of the core concerns is that the NSA is targeting communications without justification. The NSA has established a dangerous precedent whereby any foreign interests -- including business or personal interests -- can become the target of surveillance. Terrorism need not be suspected, let alone proven. Of course, the revelation that the NSA has been targeting friendly foreign governments for surveillance has been a blow to American reputation and diplomacy.

Americans at home are also targets of NSA surveillance. The NSA has partnered with major cellular carriers like Verizon, to pilfer any and all communications records made on its networks. Because the ACLU was a Verizon customer, the NSA has been called to task already on this matter but it has yet to be resolved. The author points out that the massive monitoring of American telecommunications in this way is a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, relating to unwarranted searches and seizures. The NSA program is also unconstitutional in light of the First Amendment rights including freedom of expression.