Biden signs bill extension permitting gov. spying on world citizens
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The US President signed legislation to extent the work of FISA Section 702 allows the US government to conduct targeted electronic surveillance of foreign persons residing outside the US.
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US President Joe Biden signs the American Rescue Plan on March 11, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC (AFP)
The White House announced that President Joe Biden signed a bill on Saturday, extending the authorization of a US foreign electronic spying program for an additional two years.
"On Saturday, April 20, 2024, the President signed into law: H.R. 7888, the ‘Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act,’ which extends and modifies Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act relating to foreign intelligence gathering," the statement read.
Read more: Biden signed 2024 sweeping US defense policy bill
Earlier today, the US Senate approved a bill to revise and extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), after it expired on April 19.
The White House applauded the Senate's move, describing the bill as "one of the United States’ most vital intelligence collection tools."
FISA Section 702 permits the US government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign persons located outside the US. However, lawmakers have been pursuing reforms to the authority, after an investigation revealed that the US government abused the surveillance power hundreds of thousands of times.
The Senate declined an amendment mandating intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant to access information on US citizens gathered during the surveillance of foreigners.
Read more: US admits to surveillance of its citizens, sparks outrage
Given the context of a series of abuses and mistakes by FBI analysts in improperly using the intelligence repository for information about Americans or others in the US, FBI Director Chris Wray explained, “While it is imperative that we ensure this critical authority of 702 does not lapse, we also must not undercut the effectiveness of this essential tool with a warrant requirement or some similar restriction, paralyzing our ability to tackle fast-moving threats."
Back in December, Congressman Matt Rosendale said that the bill "allowed the FBI to spy on U.S. citizens more than 278,000 times without a warrant! FISA should not be combined with our national defense, and it is unacceptable that the DC Cartel is bypassing regular order to jam Members by forcing them to vote on two unrelated bills in one vote."
