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The FBI routinely uses its authority under FISA Section 702 to get information on Americans without a warrant, ignoring the processes that are supposed to be put in place to protect people. This has nothing to do with the FISA Title III authority that was used to get information about Carter Page, no matter what you and Trump think. If you warrantless surveillance of Americans is good, then by all means you should indeed be cheering this vote – because they extended the scope of what information they can get at without a warrant.
If on the other hand you think civil liberties are worth protecting, then you might take a moment to stop to think that there was bipartisan support, including progressive Democrats, for introducing reforms like a warrant requirement while still keeping the ability to surveil foreign agents in place. But opinions differ, there are plenty of people in both parties who don’t think civil liberties are worth protecting, so if you’re one of them you’ve got a lot of company.
Perhaps so, but as Howie Klein says on Down With Tyranny FISA Was Always Bad Legislation… It’s Still Bad Even If Trump And MAGA Suddenly Oppose It Too
Yeah, all the scare tactics about how “oh noes national security is at risk if FISA isn’t extended!!!” are garbage; if Section 702 lapses, existing certifications are already approved for the next year, and the government has other authorities it can do the same kind of surveillance with. And the surveillance he’s complaining about wasn’t even under this section of FISA – it’s the Title III stuff which doesn’t need to be reauthorized!
As Howie Klein says on Down With Tyranny FISA Was Always Bad Legislation… It’s Still Bad Even If Trump And MAGA Suddenly Oppose It Too
They did – FISA shouldn’t be extended without reforms. All the scare tactics about how “oh noes national security is at risk if FISA isn’t extended!!!” are garbage; if Section 702 lapses, existing certifications are already approved for the next year, and the government has other authorities it can do the same kind of surveillance with.
As Howie Klein says on Down With Tyranny FISA Was Always Bad Legislation… It’s Still Bad Even If Trump And MAGA Suddenly Oppose It Too
From the article: