U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) published a bipartisan op-ed in The New York Times on Apr. 17 urging Congress to protect Americans’ private digital data from warrantless federal government searches. The article, co-authored with Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), advocates for the Security and Freedom Enhancement (SAFE) Act, which aims to reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The senators argue that current laws allow the government to access Americans’ communications without a warrant, raising concerns about privacy and civil liberties. “We write as Senators with opposing views on many issues. One of us is a longtime Democrat, the other a conservative Republican. But today, we join together to call on our congressional colleagues to safeguard the American people from warrantless government surveillance,” write Senators Mike Lee and Dick Durbin.
The SAFE Act would require agencies to obtain a FISA Title I order or warrant before accessing content of Americans’ communications collected under Section 702, while maintaining flexibility for legitimate security needs such as exigent circumstances or cybersecurity threats. The bill also seeks to strengthen oversight by bolstering the role of amici curiae in FISA Court proceedings and increasing internal supervision over U.S. person queries.
Additional provisions include closing loopholes that currently allow intelligence agencies to purchase sensitive information about Americans from commercial data brokers without proper safeguards, as well as clarifying definitions related to electronic communication service providers so that more organizations are not inadvertently subject to compelled data collection under FISA statutes.
Lee has championed constitutional principles and individual liberty as a U.S. senator, according to the official website. He grew up in Provo, Utah, as a fourth-generation Utahn and is the son of Rex E. Lee, a legal scholar and public servant according to his official website. Lee received both his bachelor’s degree in political science and Juris Doctor from Brigham Young University according to his official biography.
“We owe it to the American people to meet this moment and do our jobs to protect both national security and civil liberties,” said Lee and Durbin in their joint statement published in The New York Times.
