US government extends warrantless FISA monitoring

A controversial provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was renewed this weekend, despite concerns from lawmakers and other critics that it allows for the largely unregulated gathering of Americans’ personal information.

The reauthorization of FISA Section 702, dubbed the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, and the Senate on Saturday, after which President Biden signed off on the move, over opposition on both sides of the aisle in both chambers. Sen. Ron Wyden, a long-time critic of Section 702, issued a statement on Saturday, after voting “no” on the reauthorization.

“The Senate waited until the 11^th hour to ram through renewal of warrantless surveillance in the dead of night,” he said. “Time after time anti-reformers pledge that their band-aid changes to the law will curb abuses, and yet every time, the public learns about fresh abuses by officials who face little meaningful oversight.”