Wyden Slams Cobbled-Together House Surveillance Bill

Rushed House FISA 702 Bill Sacrifices Americans’ Rights, Extends Warrantless Surveillance Without Meaningful Reforms

Washington, D.C. –Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., slammed the latest House bill to extend warrantless surveillance under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in a statement issued today.

“This bill is an eleventh-hour attempt to sneak an unchecked warrantless surveillance program through Congress. This kind of rushed, secretive process is exactly the wrong way to write laws governing important national security programs,” Wyden said.

“The legislation posted late yesterday is a clear step backward for Americans’ rights. It does nothing to check the warrantless backdoor searches of Americans’ communications. The bill also fails to codify the current prohibition on “abouts” collection, in which communications entirely among innocent Americans can be swept up if they reference a target’s email address. Finally, the bill fails to include the key reforms in the bipartisan, bicameral USA RIGHTS Act, such as a meaningful prohibition on reverse targeting of Americans and a prohibition on collection of communications known to be entirely domestic.”

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