06/17/2026
Faith communities answer to a higher authority than the state, and as such often find themselves in the crosshairs of governments eager to monitor dissent. That's why Congress must repeal one of the most dangerous provisions added to FISA Section 702. The expanded definition of an Electronic Communications Service Provider, commonly known as the “Make Everyone a Spy” provision, dramatically broadens the range of people & orgs that can be compelled to assist gov surveillance and poses a direct threat to religious liberty.
Under the ECSP expansion, organizations that merely provide communications infrastructure or access to facilities could potentially find themselves entangled in government surveillance demands while being prohibited from disclosing them. The chilling effect would be immediate. This is precisely why constitutional protections exist. The First Amendment protects not only the right to worship, but also the right to associate, counsel, organize, and speak freely within religious communities. Those freedoms depend on privacy and trust.
Congress should enact the ECSP fix and restore the narrow definition of compelled assistance. No church, mosque, synagogue, pregnancy center, religious school, or ministry should be transformed into an unwilling arm of the surveillance state.
Full story: https://www.protectprivacynow.org/news/how-the-broad-ecsp-law-threatens-religious-liberty
