The US Senate has supported a bill to reform and extend Section 702 of the federal surveillance law, which allows for electronic surveillance of foreigners outside the United States, according to a statement by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
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The relevant section expired on April 19. Earlier, the House of Representatives supported the bill, extending the law for two years (it was originally supposed to extend it for five years). At the same time, the amendment, according to which intelligence agencies would need to obtain a warrant to access information of American citizens obtained during surveillance of foreigners, was rejected.
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“We welcome the Senate’s passage of House Bill 7888, Intelligence Reform and Keeping America Safe… The President will promptly sign the bill,” a press release published on the White House website said.
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Section 702 of the US federal law FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) allows surveillance of individual foreign persons outside the United States to obtain intelligence, including those used to combat international terrorism and counter cyber threats. The measure has been repeatedly criticized for violating privacy rights.
