Reform FISA Section 702 to Stop Government Surveillance
In April 2024, Congress passed the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), expanding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and redefining the laws that govern how the US can conduct foreign intelligence surveillance. This act extended a controversial 2008 law called Section 702, which allows for wiretapping and data collection from foreign nationals on US soil—including information shared with or by American citizens—without a warrant or court order. If not extended by a congressional vote, Section 702 is set to expire on April 20th, 2026.
Congress will vote on whether or not to extend Section 702 for another eighteen months just before the renewal deadline in mid-April, and while the White House is pushing for an extension without any amendments, many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want significant reforms. Section 702 was designed with an expiration date so it could be renewed with periodic reconsideration of modern technical advancements, yet few significant reforms have been made since 2008. Opponents of the law argue that it has overstepped its bounds because “advances in technology, from AI to the explosion of Americans’ data available for purchase, have far outpaced the laws protecting Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.”
Section 702 has been repeatedly abused in the past, with the FBI using its loopholes to access the communications of “peaceful protesters, federal and state lawmakers, Congressional staff, thousands of campaign donors, journalists, and a judge reporting civil rights violations by local police.” As over one hundred civil liberties groups expressed in a March 19th letter to Congress, new advancements in technology will only create further opportunities for abuse of this surveillance, such as the use of AI to mine and sell personal data.
Section 702 has long been in need of reform and, if extended as is, will only lead to more sweeping government surveillance. Tell your representatives not to extend Section 702 of FISA without significant reform.
Contacts for this topic:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].
I’m calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to oppose a clean reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA. Section 702’s numerous loopholes allow for unwarranted government surveillance and can be easily manipulated at the expense of Americans’ civil liberties. I ask that [REP/SEN NAME] only support its extension with significant reforms.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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