Overview

• The U.S. House Intelligence Committee has proposed a series of reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a key surveillance tool that allows the U.S. government to monitor specific foreign nationals outside the country without a warrant.
• The proposed reforms include requiring the FBI to obtain a 'probable cause warrant' before searching the database for information related to domestic crimes, and enhancing penalties for federal employees who violate FISA procedures.
• The report acknowledges that while Section 702 has been a critical part of U.S. defense since the 9/11 attacks, it has also been 'abused by those who swore to support and defend the American people—in particular, the FBI.'
• Critics of the program, including allies of former President Trump, have claimed it encroaches on Americans’ civil liberties and was used to improperly spy on the Trump 2016 campaign.
• The report disputes these accusations, stating that Section 702 is 'individualized and extremely limited' to foreigners who possess or communicate specific types of foreign intelligence information.