'If You Can Keep It': The Future Of The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Most of us would agree that access to foreign intelligence is important to national security. But whose private data gets swept up in the process?The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was first established in 1978 following Watergate. It’s a key U.S. surveillance tool. Section 702 was added to the act in 2008 allowing the government to collect the communications of more than 300,000 foreign nationals outside of the U.S. without a warrant every year. And the Trump administration would like to keep it that way even though lawmakers on both sides of the aisle worry that the act violates American citizens’ right to privacy.That section was set to expire today. But last Friday, the House voted to extend the expiration to April 30th. That’s after House Speaker Mike Johnson failed to corral his party’s support behind a long-term extension. The Senate also passed that short-term extension.So, as its future hangs in the balance, what’s at risk if we lose this tool? And what are the dangers of failing to reform it?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy