Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, is expressing outrage over revelations that the government surveillance has resulted in collection of information on millions of innocent Americans without their knowledge.

“We need greater transparency and accountability in our government to prevent overreach and to protect against an unnecessary invasion of Americans’ privacy,” the Alaska Democrat said Aug. 22, in a letter to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Begich said he believes strongly in the constitutional right to privacy and has proudly cosponsored several pieces of relevant legislation, including Leahy’s S. 1215, the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) Accountability and Privacy Protection Act.