All posts tagged: fisa

US Congress extends controversial surveillance power under FISA for 10 days | Privacy News

US Congress extends controversial surveillance power under FISA for 10 days | Privacy News

Published by Sam Flores

The measure has long been criticised for allowing US intelligence agencies to collect citizen data without a warrant. Published On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026 The United States Congress has temporarily extended a controversial surveillance law which allows federal intelligence agencies to collect the data of foreigners, including their contacts with US citizens. The move allows a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to continue until April 30. The short-term extension was passed by the House of Representatives and approved by the Senate on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The patch comes after President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a more lasting extension broke down. Section 702 of FISA allows the National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence services to collect data from foreigners outside of the country. That could include their interactions with US citizens, a prospect that has alarmed rights advocates. Collecting such data, which can include correspondence on email and telecommunications platforms, typically requires a warrant approved by a court. The process has been described by …

Republicans discuss boosting existing spy powers guardrails as FISA compromise

Republicans discuss boosting existing spy powers guardrails as FISA compromise

Published by Sam Flores

Republicans are discussing a year-long renewal of the nation’s warrantless spy powers in exchange for strengthening current aspects of the law, multiple sources involved in the talks told The Hill. Such a package would scale back the 18-month timeline requested by President Trump in renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act (FISA), which… Source link

Trump Asks Congress To Pass Clean Reauthorization Of FISA Spy Powers

Trump Asks Congress To Pass Clean Reauthorization Of FISA Spy Powers

Published by Jenni Sidey

Trump Asks Congress To Pass Clean Reauthorization Of FISA Spy Powers Authored by Joseph Lord and Nathan Worcester via The Epoch Times, President Donald Trump asked Congress this week to pass a clean reauthorization of a critical—but controversial—spying authority as the U.S. military operation in Iran continues. “I have called for a clean 18-month extension,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, noting that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) are working toward passing such a bill. Specifically, Trump is asking Congress to extend the authorities in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a sweeping War on Terror-era spying authority that has seen wide abuse by federal intelligence agencies in the past. Section 702 targets intelligence from foreign nationals thought to be outside the United States. Yet, it also enables intelligence agencies to gather information from Americans who are in contact with targeted non-U.S. persons—all without a warrant. The controversial authority was at the center of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden’s 2014 disclosures. Although …

US Lawmakers Move to Kill the FBI’s Warrantless Wiretap Access

US Lawmakers Move to Kill the FBI’s Warrantless Wiretap Access

Published by skeptic

A bipartisan privacy coalition in the United States Congress introduced legislation on Thursday that would impose a strict warrant requirement on the FBI’s backdoor searches of Americans’ communications, aligning federal law with a 2025 federal court ruling that found the warrantless practice unconstitutional. The bill, the Government Surveillance Reform Act of 2026, repeals controversial expansions of the government’s warrantless wiretapping authority while overhauling key aspects of federal surveillance law—setting up a showdown with the US intelligence community and its congressional allies weeks before a sweeping global spy program sunsets on April 20. Senators Ron Wyden and Mike Lee are leading the legislative push alongside Representatives Warren Davidson and Zoe Lofgren. The measure carries endorsements from civil liberties organizations across the political spectrum. The legislation arrives in a surveillance landscape fundamentally altered since 2024, when Congress last renewed the wiretap program, authorized under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The bill’s sponsors framed the Government Surveillance Reform Act as a necessary corrective to a surveillance state that has been supercharged by modern technology …