WASHINGTON – Today a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) praising his legislation, the USA FREEDOM Act, was released to the public.  The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)—the preeminent advocacy organization representing fifty-eight of the world’s leading technology companies—issued the following statement in response from Andy Halataei, senior vice president of government relations, urging lawmakers to pass the bill swiftly:

"ITI welcomes the letter from the intelligence community that lends support to the USA Freedom Act in the Senate.  With such broad agreement from the tech industry to civil liberties groups – and now the intelligence community – the elements are there to pass meaningful surveillance reform this year.  Now it is up to the Senate to act."

In June ITI President and CEO Dean Garfield testified before the Senate Select Committee on intelligence on the House passed version of the USA FREEDOM Act.   Garfield’s testimony focused on how the technology sector has been impacted by the NSA revelations, and how enacting meaningful surveillance reform is a critical step forward in restoring public trust in the U.S. technology industry and the U.S. government. 

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About ITI. The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) is the premier advocacy and policy organization for the world’s leading innovation companies.  ITI navigates the relationships between policymakers, companies, and non-governmental organizations, providing creative solutions that advance the development and use of technology around the world. Visit www.itic.org to learn more. Follow us on Twitter for the latest ITI news and other alerts: @ITI_TechTweets

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