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Government Surveillance

CDT Submitted Comments to PCLOB on FISA Section 702 Reform

Section 702 of FISA — which allows the government to engage in warrantless surveillance targeted at non-U.S. persons abroad — is set to expire at the end of 2023, unless Congress passes new legislation. CDT has long been critical of Section 702, which lacks necessary checks and significantly harms the privacy of individuals across the world, as well as those in the United States whose communications often get swept up in this warrantless surveillance.

Recently, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board requested comments from stakeholders on Section 702. The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) submitted a comment that examined six key areas regarding Section 702: 1) the scale and impact of collection; 2) purposes for which collection is authorized; 3) queries that return the communications and data of U.S. persons; 4) domestic law enforcement use; 5) the collection technique referred to as “Abouts Collection;” and 6) providing notice to defendants.

Read the full comments here.