The Justice Department's Inspector General is conducting an audit of the FBI's search practices in intelligence databases concerning U.S. persons, a move prompted by Congress amid concerns of compliance with Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Renewed under President Biden in April 2024, this statute, while effective for foreign intelligence, controversially captures U.S. communications. Past abuses, including targeting of racial justice protesters, have highlighted the need for strict adherence and possible reforms to protect civil liberties.
The FBI's handling of intelligence database searches for U.S. persons is under review due to past compliance concerns, following the renewal of spying powers.
The audit will evaluate if recent reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act have improved the FBI's and intelligence community's data query processes.
Section 702 is seen as effective for targeting foreign threats; however, it controversially captures U.S. communications without a warrant, raising privacy concerns.
Past misuse of Section 702 has led to calls for stricter guidelines, especially regarding the searching of data related to American citizens.
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