CEI Expert to Speak at ‘Restore the Fourth’ Rally Tomorrow

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 3, 2013 – Ryan Radia, Associate Director of CEI’s Center for Technology & Innovation, will speak at tomorrow’s Restore the Fourth rally in McPherson Square in Washington, D.C.

Restore the Fourth is a nationwide movement to protest the infringement of Americans’ Fourth Amendment right to be secure in their assets, “both digital and physical,” against warrantless searches and seizures. Tomorrow, Independence Day, protesters will gather in over 100 cities at Restore the Fourth rallies. The D.C. rally is especially significant, as it will take place mere blocks from a White House still reeling from the public backlash over the NSA’s pervasive surveillance programs.

“The NSA’s suspicionless mass surveillance of Americans’ telephone metadata—including call detail records—is intrusive, arguably unconstitutional, and ripe for abuse,” Radia said. “By forcing telecom companies to hand over their entire databases of ‘telephony metadata’ to comply with top secret court orders, this administration and its predecessor have demonstrated a callous disregard for due process and the rule of law. It is a sad state of affairs when leaking classified documents is necessary to correct the blatantly erroneous public statements by top government officials regarding the nature and scope of domestic surveillance.”

Also scheduled to speak at tomorrow’s rally event are NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake, Bill of Rights Defense Council’s Shahid Buttar, Executive Director of the Libertarian National Committee Carla Howell, and other leading defenders of individual liberties and constitutional government.

>> Read more about the Restore the Fourth movement here.