The Battle Over Renewing Foreign Surveillance Powers: Protecting Servicemembers and Preventing Terrorism

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) has released a bill, H.R. 6611, that would reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and renew mass surveillance authority for another eight years. The bill includes new authorities that the intelligence community has sought for years, allowing the indiscriminate collection of U.S. persons' communications without a warrant. It also authorizes the use of this surveillance program to vet asylum seekers and expands the definition of electronic communication service providers. In contrast, the House Judiciary Committee's bill, H.R. 6570, aims to address issues with Section 702 by banning warrantless backdoor searches and renewing the authority for only three more years. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urges members of Congress to reject the HPSCI bill and vote for the Judiciary Committee's bill.