WASHINGTON—On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend the powers of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for two years. Ahead of the vote, House members debated several amendments, including one aimed at limiting the U.S. government's ability to search and review Americans' personal information without a warrant.
The amendment was supported by privacy rights advocates, but was rejected by an even vote (212 to 212). This was supported by many members of the Republican Caucus and the Democratic Progressive Caucus.
Section 702 allows intelligence agencies to collect the telephone calls, emails, text messages, and other communications of nearly all non-Americans outside the United States. However, a large amount of information about US residents is also collected and searched. This is because of loopholes that allow spy agencies to perform “backdoor” queries of databases by monitoring telephone and internet conversations involving both foreign and domestic speakers like a dragnet. .
Free Press Action Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs matt wood Said:
“The House just missed a huge opportunity to rein in violations of people's liberties and civil rights by spy agencies. The failure to introduce a warrant requirement in expanding and expanding Section 702 is an important opportunity for powerful law enforcement agencies to Passage of this bill, which expands Section 702's powers, would leave open loopholes for backdoor investigations and undermine U.S. intelligence. Allowing institutions to continue to jeopardize everyone's right to privacy and disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, including racial and social justice protesters and other dissident voices. become.
“No government agency should have such repressive surveillance powers. This unconstitutional power allows intelligence agencies to scrutinize personal data even when the investigation is not related to a legitimate criminal investigation. This is a particularly grave concern as recent administrations, both Republican and Democratic, have disproportionately targeted people of color and political dissidents. Voted today by a narrow margin. Reauthorizing Section 702 without strong reforms would enable unchecked espionage against people across America.
“The fight to stop government surveillance is an uphill battle to say the least, but this week we announced a bipartisan effort to rein in government spies and put in place strong privacy protections that protect our rights. It's shameful that these efforts are taking place.''Congressmen's concerns were defeated in a close race as surveillance advocates rushed to celebrate the government's unconstitutional spying powers, with Rep. Jeffries and Rep. Lieu I am particularly appalled that members of Congress like , Pelosi, and Raskin voted against the warrant amendment, which failed by one vote. Vote.
“Reauthorizing Section 702 without adopting the important reforms proposed by members of the House Judiciary Committee on both sides of the aisle would fundamentally undermine the Fourth Amendment right to privacy. It is unfortunate that more members of Congress will not stand up for voters' rights and support major changes to FISA's powers.”