WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday blocked an expansion of the government’s power to investigate suspected terrorists, a victory for civil libertarians and privacy advocates emboldened after a National Security Agency contractor’s revelations forced changes to surveillance of Americans.
Senior Republicans had pressed for allowing the FBI to obtain a person’s digital fingerprints without first securing a judge’s permission after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, left 49 dead and 53 injured. The gunman had pledge allegiance to the Islamic State and other militant groups.
But on Wednesday, the Senate voted 58-38, two votes short of the 60 necessary to move ahead on the measure.
“We aren’t asking for content, we’re asking for usage,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in defense of the measure. “This is an important tool.”
Three years ago, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations about the agency’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ phone records set off a fierce debate, pitting civil libertarians concerned about privacy against more hawkish lawmakers.
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