A top technology industry lobbying group will keep tabs on which lawmakers vote for legislation to reform the National Security Agency (NSA), assuming the bill overcomes a series of procedural hurdles first.
The Information Technology Industry Council — which includes Google, Facebook, Apple and other giants among it dozens of members — sent a letter to Senate lawmakers Tuesday saying that it would score votes to support final passage of the USA Freedom Act.
{mosads}“We urge the Senate to move forward on the reforms contained in the USA Freedom Act without delay in order to restore the public’s trust in our tech sector, protect the open and borderless internet, and ensure the continued vitality of our innovation economy and the growth it creates here in the U.S.,” trade group head Dean Garfield wrote.
“Given the importance of surveillance reform to the high-tech community, we will consider scoring votes in support of final passage of the USA Freedom Act in our 113th Congressional Voting Guide.”
The group will only score votes for final passage of the bill, however. To get to that point, the legislation must overcome a series of procedural hurdles, the first of which is scheduled for Tuesday evening.
Still, the move is a sign of new aggressiveness from the tech sector, after a series of legislative losses.
The industry lobbied vigorously in support of patent and immigration reform, only to see both efforts fail before crossing the finish line. Those losses caused some soul searching among tech industry lobbyists, who have considered taking a harsher tone to get lawmakers to back their issues.
Tech companies have said that Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA have severely damaged the public’s trust abroad, costing them billions of dollars.