The Biden administration on Tuesday called on Congress to renew a surveillance law set to expire at the end of the year, calling it a powerful tool in fending off foreign threats despite criticisms that it has become the FBI’s go-to justification for spying on Americans.
The law in question, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), authorizes U.S. government to electronically surveil foreigners “reasonably believe to be located outside the United States” without a warrant, even if they are in communication with Americans. This in effect allows intelligence agencies to collect millions of phone calls, emails, text messages, and video chats by compelling internet service providers like Verizon and AT&T to hand the data over.
