US officials want Section 702 renewed before damaging court ruling goes public
Senators say officials hid a ruling on warrantless searches past its release deadline.
Senators say officials hid a ruling on warrantless searches past its release deadline.
The short version
- Seven months ago, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court objected to search filters that let intelligence analysts pull Americans’ messages from intercepted data without the approvals, written justifications, or records the law requires.
- The court approved another year of surveillance anyway.
- The ruling has never been made public, and Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Adam Schiff of California say the administration’s own deadline for releasing it passed in September.
What happened
The program, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), lapsed in June after Congress failed to renew it, though collection continues under the court’s March approval. Wyden, the longest-serving member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Schiff, the former chair of its House counterpart, say the administration owes Congress an explanation for the delay, and the names of the officials responsible, by November 6.
Why it matters
The Trump administration has already been pressed, and has promised, to release the ruling.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.