President Joe Biden has given his approval to a controversial bill that extends the surveillance powers of US government agencies, raising concerns about the privacy of American citizens.
On April 20, the US Senate voted 60-34 in favor of passing a legislation that renews and modifies Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for an additional two years. President Biden signed the bill into law the following day.
Advocates of the bill, including President Biden and several members from both political parties, argue that it is crucial in supporting counter-terrorism efforts and safeguarding the national security interests of the United States.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated, “Allowing FISA to expire would have been dangerous. It’s an important part of our national security toolkit and helps law enforcement stop terrorist attacks, drug trafficking, and violent extremism.”
However, critics of the bill believe that the reauthorization and amendment of FISA will lead to an era of increased surveillance and significantly expand the spying capabilities of government agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, criticized the members who voted in favor of the bill, claiming they had “sold out American civil liberties.”
In a post on X on April 20, Goitein wrote, “The provision effectively grants the NSA access to the communications equipment of almost any US business, as well as numerous organizations and individuals. It’s a gift to any president who may wish to spy on political enemies, journalists, and ideological opponents.”
Currently, US agencies like the NSA have the power to compel internet service providers, such as Google and Verizon, to hand over sensitive data related to their targets.
Now that President Biden has signed the bill into law, the US government will be able to expand its surveillance activities even further, compelling a wide range of companies and individuals providing internet-related services to assist with surveillance.
The bill faced opposition from privacy-conscious Republicans and Democrats alike, but it was successfully passed in the House of Representatives on April 13. An amendment to the bill, which proposed that security agencies require a warrant for all internet-based surveillance, was narrowly rejected in the House.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden expressed his concern about the reauthorization of FISA section 702, stating that America had “lost something important,” and described the legislation as unconstitutional.
Senator Ron Wyden described the bill on April 13 as one of the most “dramatic and terrifying expansions of government surveillance authority in history.”