Coalition Urges No Vote on FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization

This is a letter to the House from a coalition supporting security and liberty urging a “no” vote on H.R. 5949,  the FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012, which would extend the FISA Amendments Act until December 31, 2017.

Unless reauthorized, the the Act will sunset on December 31, 2012.

The letter urges members to impose measures to prevent abuse of the FISA Amendments Act, and to require that government officials implementing the law be more transparent about its use.

The FISA Amendments Act authorizes the government to conduct surveillance in the U.S. of individuals reasonably believed to be non-U.S. persons located outside the U.S. Even if the target communicates with people in the U.S., the surveillance is conducted without meaningful judicial authorization and without probable cause. Instead, the FISA Court evaluates only whether the procedures under which surveillance is conducted are reasonably designed to target people reasonably believed to be abroad.