Preparing for the Next FISA 702 Vote

The Countdown to April 30

The House of Representatives has passed a short-term extension of the FISA 702 authority, pushing the expiration deadline from April 20 to April 30. We have a critical window between now and the end of the month to organize and ensure that the upcoming vote on permanent reauthorization is not a "clean" extension, one that lacks essential privacy reforms.

What is FISA 702?

FISA Section 702 is a surveillance authority used to monitor the communications of foreign targets. However, in the process of targeting people abroad, the communications of Americans are often "incidentally" collected.

Currently, intelligence agencies can search this collected data for information on Americans without a warrant. We are advocating for requiring a judicial warrant before any U.S. person's communications are searched, protecting our Fourth Amendment rights.

A Temporary Pause

The passage of this short-term extension is a temporary pause. It kicks the can down the road by 10 days, and gives us a chance to advocate for solving the underlying issue. We have 10 days to focus on the next major legislative vote where Congress will decide on a long-term, permanent renewal of this power.

The "Clean Extension" Trap

The primary concern is that the next permanent vote could be a "clean" extension. In legislative terms, a "clean" renewal is one passed without any new safeguards, such as warrant requirements or increased oversight.

As highlighted by the ACLU, the current framework allows for mass, warrantless surveillance of Americans' communications. Furthermore, the EFF has warned that it leaves the door open for "backdoor searches" of U.S. person data without any judicial oversight.

Tell your representatives: Let FISA 702 expire unless it is fundamentally reformed to include protections for the Fourth Amendment

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