Legislation Seeks To Block Lengthy Gag Orders on Tech Firms After Government Surveillance

New submitter hawk writes: Government agencies would no longer be able to indefinitely conceal their secret seizure of email records under legislation introduced Tuesday that takes aim at gag orders. The Government Surveillance Transparency Act, sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers, puts limitations on gag orders that seek to block tech companies from altering users whose data has been seized. It targets a practice brought into the spotlight after journalists from CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post all had their records seized by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The bill requires law enforcement agencies to notify surveillance subjects that their email, location and web browsing data has been seized, aligning with current practices for phone records and bank data. While the legislation allows the government to continue getting secret warrants to obtain such data, it also places a six-month limit on gag orders that prevent companies from notifying their users of the seizure. "When the government obtains someone's emails or other digital information, users have a right to know," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a release.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.