Shenna Bellows on Technology

Total Information Awareness undermines our democracy

A: I support measures to repeal the Patriot Act and prohibit the NSA from engaging in bulk data collection. The federal government should only be gathering information about Americans when there are specific and articulable facts that are actually relevant to a terrorism investigation.

Q: Are there categories of foreign leaders that you think it is appropriate for the US government to be surveiling?

A: I think we need a paradigm shift in our surveillance--in our approach to surveillance. For the last decade, policymakers in Washington have trampled on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, creating a constitutional crisis. This paradigm of "Total Information Awareness" undermines our democracy and threatens international relations. We need a Church Committee-style investigation into the nature and extent of our surveillance practices. And we need meaningful reforms to restore our constitutional freedoms and restore our trust.