National Coalition of 92 Civil Rights and Racial Justice Organizations Opposes Reauthorizing FISA Section 702 in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024
November 29, 2023Leading advocacy organizations issue joint letter calling on members of the U.S. House, Senate to reject reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA
Section 702 grants intelligence agencies broad authority to collect the communications of foreigners abroad who use U.S. communications platforms. But as currently written and interpreted, it enables unfettered, warrantless, and discriminatory surveillance that encroaches on the privacy of everyday Americans in the U.S. and abroad.
“It would be deeply irresponsible for Congress to reauthorize Section 702 through the NDAA or any other must pass legislation. We rely on our lawmakers to stand up for our civil liberties and privacy protections, not hide the ball by trying to slip 702 reauthorization into the defense bill. Surveillance reform is deserving of comprehensive, robust, and informed standalone debate,” said Joanna YangQing Derman, Director of Anti-Racial Profiling, Civil Rights, and National Security at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC.