US House approves clarification of NSA surveillance
epa03800631 (FILE) A file photo dated 25 May 2011 showing Republican Representative from Michigan Justin Amash appearing before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on ‘War Powers, United States Operations in Libya, and Related Legislation’, on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, USA. The US House voted 24 July 2013 against blocking the National Security Agency from using the PATRIOT Act to collect records of people not under investigation. The amendment proposed by Republican Justin Amash failed 217-205. It was considered the first real test of political sentiment on the NSA programmes since fugitive NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked documents revealing previously undisclosed details about surveillance programmes. Amash’s amendment sought to restrict what he said was NSA’s “blanket authority” to collect records and internet and telephone meta-data under the PATRIOT Act, a far-reaching security law passed after the 2001 terrorist attacks. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS
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