ACLU Releases “The NSA is Coming to Town” Christmas Carol as Lawsuit Begins
Rather than spreading holiday cheer, a new viral carol by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is spreading holiday fear of National Security Administration (NSA) spying and overreach.
The carol, titled "The NSA is Coming to Town," is a fund raiser of sorts, tied to a lawsuit known as ACLU v. Clapper, which began oral arguments (transcript here) on December 3.
The focus of the NSA lawsuit is the tracking and monitoring of phone records which the ACLU argues, not only exceeds the limitations of the Constitution, but even of the Congressionally approved Patriot Act.
Below is the ACLU's description of the complaint:
The complaint argues that the dragnet, justified by the Patriot Act’s Section 215, violates the right of privacy protected by the Fourth Amendment as well as the First Amendment rights of free speech and association. The complaint also charges that the program exceeds the authority that Congress provided through the Patriot Act. The lawsuit seeks to end the mass domestic spying and have all of the collected data deleted. Oral argument on the ACLU’s motion for a preliminary injunction and the government’s motion to dismiss was held on November 22 in New York, and we are now awaiting the court's decision.