The United States Congress has temporarily extended a controversial surveillance law which allows federal intelligence agencies to collect the data of foreigners, including their contacts with US citizens. The move allows a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to continue until April 30. The short-term extension was passed by the House of Representatives and approved by the Senate on Friday.
The patch comes after President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a more lasting extension broke down. Section 702 of FISA allows the National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence services to collect data from foreigners outside of the country. That could include their interactions with US citizens, a prospect that has alarmed rights advocates.
Collecting such data, which can include correspondence on email and telecommunications platforms, typically requires a warrant approved by a court. The process has been described by critics as a “backdoor search” that circumvents existing privacy laws. Speaking after Friday’s vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there was still some openness to reforming the law.
Supporters of reform, who stretch across party lines, have long sought to repeal or amend Section 702. While FISA was initially passed in 1978, Section 702 was added as an amendment in 2008. The addition came amid the US’s “global war on terror”.
But during its approval, revelations emerged that the administration of former US President George W Bush had already used the tactics Section 702 legalised. Supporters, including Trump, maintain that reforming the provision would lead to a lapse in national security. He has pushed for the law to be extended for 18 months without changes.
That effort initially appeared on track in the House but was ultimately scuttled by pushback from within Trump’s own Republican Party. Among the detractors was Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who has been a regular critic of Trump.
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