A bill to renew a powerful surveillance authority for two years would afford special treatment to members of Congress, adding a requirement that lawmakers be notified when they are the subject of an FBI search under the program.
The provision is tucked inside a broader bill being considered by the Senate that would renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the U.S. government to collect digital communications of foreigners located outside the country.
Lawmakers have sought to add privacy protections to the program because it also sweeps up the communications of Americans and allows the FBI to search through data without a warrant, using information such as an email address.
