Senator’s investigation of wireless surveillance by law enforcement revealed more than one million requests in 2012

Washington (May 7, 2015) – Senator Edward J. Markey today hailed the ruling from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that found the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of America’s phone records illegal.

“While security is essential to a functioning democracy, privacy is the cornerstone of freedom. We cannot invade the privacy of the innocent as we look for the guilty. Congress should not rubberstamp surveillance laws that fail to balance the need for security and privacy in the 21st century digital world. It is time for Congress to formally end the federal government’s bulk data collection program of phone records, and I will not support a clean extension of this program if it comes to the Senate floor this month.”

For the past two years, Senator Markey’s investigation into law enforcement requests of mobile phone data revealed expanded use of wireless surveillance of Americans, including more than one million requests for the personal mobile phone data of Americans in 2012 by law enforcement. Senator Markey began his investigation in 2012, revealing 1.3 million requests in 2011 for wireless data by federal, state, and local law enforcement.