- United States
- Calif.
- Letter
I’m writing to urge you to demand major reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and to withhold your vote from reauthorization without reforms.
Specifically, it is essential that you withhold your vote from reauthorization until the legislation is amended to:
• Close the backdoor search loophole: The government should not continue to be allowed to access personal communications without a warrant to consistently protect personal privacy.
• Close the data broker loophole: Intelligence agencies and law enforcement must be held to the same standard of privacy protection when purchasing data from commercial brokers. In the age of AI this protection is essential to preventing unprecedented government collection of our data.
• Fix the overbroad expansion of electronic communication service providers: As it is currently written, the ECSP definition is vague and overbroad. Right now, building owners (including those that lease space to nonprofits and media outlets), can be compelled to turn over data from their internet systems to the government. That must stop.
• Remove barriers to amici access and participation at the FISA Court: Even after prior reforms, amici are still restricted in access to proceedings and relevant materials. This reform will ensure the FISA Court allows amici access to cases affecting civil rights and civil liberties.
Now more than ever in the era of mass AI, personal privacy and civil liberties must be protected. I expect you to hold the line to protect your constituents from unnecessary and warrantless mass surveillance by refusing to reauthorize FISA without reform.