US Data Sweep Harms Press, Democratic Rights: Study

Comment: Our democratic rights is undermined press freedom, the public's right to information as well as rights to legal counsel.
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WASHINGTON - Large-scale surveillance by the US government has begun to have an impact on press freedom and broader democratic rights, a study released Monday showed.
The report by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch found that the vast surveillance efforts aimed at thwarting terrorist attacks have undermined press freedom, the public's right to information as well as rights to legal counsel.
"The work of journalists and lawyers is central to our democracy," said report author Alex Sinha. "When their work suffers, so do we."
The report is based on interviews with 92 people in the United States, including journalists, lawyers, and current and former US government officials. The group included 46 journalists representing a wide range of news organizations, including several Pulitzer Prize winners
 
SecurityWeek/ full read here/ http://www.securityweek.com/us-data-sweep-harms-press-democratic-rights-study