House votes on bill to curb NSA data collection

Today, a bill has been approved by the US House of Representatives that would curb some powers of the National Security Agency powers. A group of some of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley including Facebook Inc, Google Inc and Apple Inc, have voiced their opposition as it could legally allow the bulk collection of users' data from the Internet. On the other hand, some of the lawmakers who have voted against the bill said the legislation should have more teeth, Bloomberg reported.

The bill reportedly follows one year after NSA contractor Edward Snowden exposed the federal agency's massive surveillance efforts.

During the debate today on the House floor, California Democrat Representative Zoe Lofgren said, "We have learned that if we leave any ambiguity in the law, the intelligence agencies will run a truck right through that ambiguity."

The bill, which is also known in the House as HR 3361, secured a 303-121 majority and would need a Senate vote before it gets sent to President Barack Obama for signature. The White House said yesterday that the president is in favor of the bill.

"(The president supports the measure because its) significant reforms would provide the public greater confidence in our programs and the checks and balances in the system," a White House statement read.

Once the bill will become law, the data will be held by Verizon Communications Inc, AT&T Inc and other phone carriers. The bill will also have the federal government secure an order from a special secret court that oversees NSA spying first to have the carriers search the records requested for counterterrorism probes. The bill also has provisions in case of emergency circumstances, Bloomberg said.

The Reform Government Surveillance coalition, a group of Internet and technology companies, has been attempting to distance themselves from the idea that they were willing to share information and cooperate with surveillance programs of the government, the news outlet said. The group had called the latest development of the bill a misstep.

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US House of Representatives, Edward Snowden

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