(MENAFN) In a move that has sparked controversy and raised concerns about privacy rights, the United States House of Representatives voted to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Friday. This decision comes after pro-Trump Republicans initially blocked the act but were later persuaded to lift their veto by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The renewal of Section 702, which passed with a vote of 273-147, grants United States intelligence agencies the authority to surveil internet and phone communications from abroad that pass through American networks like Google. While the program is ostensibly aimed at targeting foreigners, it also allows for the collection of data from millions of American citizens, which can be accessed without a court warrant. Recent data revealed that the FBI utilized this program to probe the electronic data of nearly 3.4 million Americans in 2021 alone.
Earlier in the week, a group of 19 conservative lawmakers, backed by former President Donald Trump, blocked a procedural vote on the renewal of Section 702. Trump voiced concerns about the FBI's alleged misuse of the act to spy on his 2016 campaign and called for its abolition.
However, the dissenting lawmakers agreed to allow a vote if certain conditions were met, including reducing the funding period for Section 702 from five years to two and holding a separate vote on an amendment requiring warrants for surveillance of American citizens.
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