WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday called on Congress to reauthorize a key surveillance law before it expires at the end of the year, touting it as a cornerstone of national security even as officials work to address past criticisms that it has information on Americans as well.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines sent a letter to congressional leaders on Tuesday to emphasize that there is no way to replicate Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for its insights.
The section allows the federal government to collect the digital communications of foreigners who are located outside the U.S. But the provision has faced criticism that it’s a mass surveillance law that goes far beyond what’s necessary to safeguard national security and can be used to target Americans.
