House passes 3-year FISA 702 extension

"The statute, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, lets spy agencies warrantlessly collect communications of foreign targets abroad, but it can sweep in Americans' texts, emails and phone calls when they communicate with targets, raising Fourth Amendment concerns from privacy advocates."

"Added provisions in the passed measure include new civil liberties reviews of FBI searches involving Americans, criminal penalties for improper queries, attorney-level approval requirements, expanded congressional access to the intelligence court that oversees the law and a mandated government audit of surveillance targeting procedures."

""It's incredibly disappointing the House approved this measure. This bill is empty-calories through and through, failing to address the core issues of privacy and oversight that advocates have long called for.""

The House passed a three-year extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allowing warrantless collection of foreign communications. This extension does not require warrants for querying U.S. person data, raising Fourth Amendment concerns. The bill also includes a ban on central bank digital currency, which some conservatives argue would enable government surveillance. Additional provisions for civil liberties reviews and penalties for improper queries were added, but advocates remain dissatisfied with the overall measure.

Read at Nextgov.com