Section 702 Archives

Kash Patel, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), arrives to testify during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

FBI nominee Kash Patel gets questions on cybercrime investigations, Silk Road founder, surveillance powers

Cyber otherwise wasn’t a big focus during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Patel’s nomination to lead the bureau.

Jan 30, 2025 By Tim Starks

Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, arrives to testify during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. Gabbard, a former Congresswoman from Hawaii who previously ran for president as a Democrat before joining the Republican Party and supporting President Trump, is facing criticism from Senators over her lack of intelligence experience and her opinions on domestic surveillance powers. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Tulsi Gabbard tussles with senators over Snowden, surveillance

President Trump’s nominee to lead ODNI substantially revised her previous positions on the former NSA contractor and Section 702 spying authorities.

Jan 30, 2025 By Derek B. Johnson

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) speaks to reporters before a Senate luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on December 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

FISA reauthorization heads to Biden’s desk after Senate passage

A two-year extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act clears the chamber in a 60-34 vote Saturday.

Apr 20, 2024 By Tim Starks

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., spoke to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on March 22, 2022. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

With a mysterious surveillance target identified, calls for Congress to change course

Civil liberties advocates want to narrow the scope of an amendment to a controversial surveillance law.

Apr 17, 2024 By Tim Starks

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) (C) talks with committee members Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) (L) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) while hearing testimony from former Special Counsel Robert Hur in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House passes extension of expiring surveillance authorities

Just days ago, lawmakers voted against even allowing a debate on an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Apr 12, 2024 By Tim Starks

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., listens during a press conference following a House GOP caucus meeting at the U.S Capitol on April 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Renewal of controversial surveillance law screeches to a halt in the House

Lawmakers defeated a procedure allowing debate on extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Apr 10, 2024 By Tim Starks

U.S. House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) (L) and House Intelligence Ranking Member Jim Himes (D-CT) speak following a briefing with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the U.S. Capitol on February 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

House hurtles toward showdown over expiring surveillance tools

At issue is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes snooping that some consider vital to security and others view as an out-of-control privacy…

Apr 9, 2024 By Tim Starks

Visitors walk past the U.S. Capitol on September 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House-passed data privacy bill doesn’t thrill privacy groups

A measure to address the sale of Americans’ data doesn’t go far enough to rein in the data broker industry, advocates argue.

Mar 21, 2024 By Tim Starks

Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, speaks during a news conference on the House budget proposals, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2023. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Reform bill would overhaul controversial surveillance law

A measure introduced on Tuesday puts civil libertarians on a collision course with the Biden administration.

Nov 7, 2023 By Elias Groll

A pedestrian walks past a seal reading “Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation”, displayed on the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building, in Washington, DC, on August 15, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Privacy watchdog recommends court approval for FBI searches of spy data

The recommendations from the executive branch's privacy watchdog to reform Section 702 puts the panel at odds with the White House.

Sep 28, 2023 By Tonya Riley