White House reportedly asking for legal immunity for companies that hand over data

The White House reportedly is asking lawmakers working on reforms of the National Security Agency to offer legal immunity for telecommunications companies that hand over customer data to the government.

The request, which was found in a four-page statement of principles privately delivered to lawmakers, says “any person who complies in good faith with an order to produce records” should be protected from legal liabilities, according to The Guardian. Orders refer to courts asking for phone data once the NSA no longer collects it.

A senior administration official who spoke to The Guardian said the provision is typical for surveillance laws.

The provision is similar to a part of the 2008 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act, which gave retroactive immunity to companies that let the NSA access calls and call data between Americans and foreigners.

Click for more from The Guardian.