Congress approved a 45-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — which authorizes warrantless surveillance of foreign targets whose communications can include Americans — hours before the law’s expiration. Lawmakers secured a commitment to seek rapid declassification of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinion amid reported compliance problems and continuing debates over reforms and the Justice Department’s appeal. #Section702 #FISA
Keypoints
- Congress passed a 45-day extension of Section 702 to avoid an immediate lapse.
- Senators agreed to request rapid declassification of a FISC opinion tied to reported compliance issues.
- Sen. Ron Wyden withheld consent until Senate Intelligence leaders committed to the declassification effort.
- The Justice Department is appealing a FISC ruling that restricted certain analytical tools.
- The House previously approved a 3-year reauthorization with unrelated policy riders that stalled in the Senate.
Read More: https://cyberscoop.com/congress-extends-section-702-surveillance-45-days/