Senator Patrick Leahy's (D-VT) USA Freedom Act hailed praises from privacy advocates stating that it is a major step in reforming the controversial issues of the National Security Agency.

Sen. Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced the USA Freedom Act, which carries a stronger version than the bill that was passed last May.

Like Us on Facebook

The USA Freedom Act contains new and stronger restrictions on the "bulk-surveillance" of Internet traffic, residents' mobile phone records and banning of data vacuuming from a particular phone service provider or area.

The Act also provides limitations on the business records the government can gather, creation of a special privacy advocate who will represent civil liberties in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and imposition of new transparency in the government.

This means that the information gathered through bulk collection of data like telephone records will now be moved into the hands of service providers which force the agency to obtain specific warrants first before they can search the data.

Advocates are contending that the exposed surveillance has a weakening effect on the security protocols of American companies.

NSA has been long suspected of introducing surveillance that weakens security standards that was confirmed by another secret document that was obtained.

In 2006, NSA was shown as an agency working on its own to get their own version of a draft security standard that the US National Institute of Standards and Technology issued.

Businessmen take the side of the NSA reform claiming that their investors were skittish because of the fact that NSA can snoop on the Internet traffic and can threaten them.

The bill undeniably carries bipartisan support however; lawmakers on the upper chamber are raising concerns that will make the passage of the bill difficult.

Privacy is a right that must be given to each and every citizen, however; these legal rights are generally tempered when national security is at stake.

TagsNSA, surveillance, LEAHY