Washington — The House has voted against amendments that would have limited in how the government can use information gathered on Americans during foreign surveillance.
House members rejected language that would have closed the “backdoor search loophole” by requiring a warrant for government agencies to access Americans’ communications.
The House instead renewed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without meaningful improvements on the protections it offers Americans. The Senate will now take up legislation to renew the electronic surveillance authority before it expires later this month.
The following can be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black, who has testified before the Senate on FISA renewal:
“As the clock ticks on authorization for government surveillance, we recognize that legislation in this area is facing a deadline for some type of renewal. We believe it’s imperative that positive reforms with better protections for citizens and civil liberties be included in any new legislation. We will now look to improve the legislation before it moves to the Senate.”