More than 40 groups asked Senate and House...

More than 40 groups asked Senate and House leaders not to modify the latest version of the USA Freedom Act (S-2685). Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., introduced the version last year, widely seen as a stronger surveillance overhaul than the one the House passed earlier this year. “The version of the USA FREEDOM Act introduced Tuesday is a substantial improvement upon the House-passed bill, and addresses many of our most significant concerns,” the Wednesday letter said (http://bit.ly/1o6gSSr). “While this bill does not include all of the necessary reforms to the government’s surveillance authorities, it is a good first step.” Signatories include the American Civil Liberties Union, American Library Association, Center for Democracy & Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Press, New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge and TechFreedom.