April 6, 2024 at 08:36AM
Next week, the House will consider a bill to reauthorize the Section 702 surveillance program for national security, despite concerns about privacy. The program allows the US to collect foreign communications without a warrant. Reauthorization faces political resistance due to concerns about privacy and FBI abuses, with proposed changes to protect Americans’ privacy.
Key points from the meeting notes:
– The House is set to consider reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act next week, which permits the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of non-Americans outside the country for the purpose of gathering foreign intelligence.
– There is support for reauthorization among senior administration officials, who believe that the bill preserves critical aspects of the spy program while including guardrails to protect its purpose and effectiveness.
– The program has encountered bipartisan pushback from lawmakers, who are concerned about the FBI’s access to information about Americans and have proposed amendments to require approval from an FBI lawyer for searches about Americans and others inside the U.S.
– There is also resistance to a proposed amendment that would require a warrant to review the results of queries on an American.
Let me know if you need further details or information from the meeting notes.