My letter to local papers. Please write yours!
A few months ago, the public learned that anyone's cell phone records were available for purchase from a number of resellers. People were outraged, and the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill (409-0) to ban such transactions, and a second bill was due for debate. The public thought this gross intrusion into our privacy was being addressed.
That bill, however, has disappeared, and now we learn why. Hundreds of law enforcement organizations, from federal down to local levels, have been purchasing such phone records instead of obtaining warrants required by law.
So now you know: not only is the NSA spying on Americans without obtaining warrants, but the FBI and local police departments are doing the exact same thing. And they're shelling out big taxpayer dollars to private companies in order to do it.