Congress passed and President Biden signed a reauthorization of Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), approving a bill that opponents say includes a “major expansion of warrantless surveillance” under Section 702 of FISA.

Over the weekend, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act was approved by the Senate in a 60-34 vote. The yes votes included 30 Republicans, 28 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with Democrats. The bill, which was previously passed by the House and reauthorizes Section 702 of FISA for two years, was signed by President Biden on Saturday.

“Thousands and thousands of Americans could be forced into spying for the government by this new bill and with no warrant or direct court oversight whatsoever,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said on Friday. “Forcing ordinary Americans and small businesses to conduct secret, warrantless spying is what authoritarian countries do, not democracies.”

Wyden and Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) led a bipartisan group of eight senators who submitted an amendment to reverse what Wyden’s office called “a major expansion of warrantless surveillance under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that was included in the House-passed bill.” After the bill was approved by the Senate without the amendment, Wyden said it seemed “that senators were unwilling to send this bill back to the House, no matter how common-sense the amendment before them.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he voted against the reauthorization “because it failed to include the most important requirement to protect Americans’ civil rights: that law enforcement get a warrant before targeting a US citizen.”

  • Adkml [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    7 months ago
    1. Fuck the dems, blue Maga, of course this isn’t an endorsement

    2. Almost shows how much of a cynic I am, I assume they already have literally unlimited unrestricted access to anything you say within earshot of electronic device as well as your location data

    Like I assume I they’re talking about “expanding the surveillance state” there’s literally gonna be a spook in a suit standing in the corner of my bedroom with a notepad who’s furiously taking real time notes.

    • AcidLeaves [they/them, he/him]@hexbear.net
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      7 months ago

      I assume they already have literally unlimited unrestricted access to anything you say within earshot of electronic device as well as your location data

      This makes it legal though which means it holds up in court. Lots of scenarios in the past where the case got tossed because the feds obtained info illegally