Bipartisan Bill Proposes Renewal of Controversial Surveillance Program

Civil Liberties Groups Criticize Proposed Changes as Insufficient in Protecting Americans' Privacy

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman, Sen. Mark R. Warner, introduces a bipartisan bill to renew the controversial Section 702 surveillance program, with some restrictions on FBI authority.
The bill, co-sponsored by several senators including Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Lindsey Graham, does not require agents to obtain a warrant for querying digital communications, a point of contention for civil liberties groups.
The proposal bans FBI agents from querying the database for evidence of a crime, unless it is to prevent loss of life, serious bodily injury or a cyberattack on critical infrastructure.
Civil liberties groups criticize the bill for not going far enough in protecting Americans' privacy and for potentially expanding Section 702 surveillance in some ways.
The bill also proposes to reauthorize Section 702 through 2035 and establish a FISA Reform Commission to review the law's workings and make further recommendations.