"For nearly two decades, Congress has obediently renewed one of the federal government's most expansive and unconstitutional domestic surveillance authorities, typically with total bipartisan enthusiasm, little floor debate, and even less public attention."
"Under the pretext of targeting foreigners abroad, Section 702 has become a vehicle for warrantless backdoor searches of Americans' private communications, with the FBI conducting up to 3.4 million such queries in 2021 alone."
"The law, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, was first enacted in 2008, when Congress voted to retroactively authorize parts of a secret warrantless surveillance program constructed under the George W. Bush administration."
"A reform battle in April 2024 ultimately failed, when Johnson, a Constitutional lawyer, abandoned his longheld opposition to mass domestic spying and cast the deciding vote to reject a warrant requirement amendment."
For nearly two decades, Congress has renewed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allowing warrantless surveillance of Americans. Initially enacted in 2008, it authorized a program that monitored international communications without warrants. The law has led to significant expansions of surveillance powers, undermining Fourth Amendment protections. In 2021, the FBI conducted millions of warrantless searches of Americans' communications. A reform effort in April 2024 failed when House Speaker Mike Johnson voted against a warrant requirement amendment, despite previously opposing mass domestic spying.
Read at The American Conservative
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