Whistleblower Edward Snowden recently raised concerns over the impending expansion of the National Security Agency's (NSA) surveillance powers, warning that the agency is on the verge of assuming unprecedented control over the internet. This warning comes in light of a new bill aimed at reforming and expanding Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which currently empowers the NSA to compel internet service providers like Google and Verizon to divulge sensitive data about NSA targets.
The proposed bill, according to legal experts like Elizabeth Goitein, involves seemingly innocuous changes to the definition of "electronic communications surveillance provider" under FISA 702. However, these alterations could potentially extend the reach of NSA surveillance to encompass a wide array of businesses and individuals offering internet-related services. This could include establishments as diverse as barber shops, laundromats, fitness centers, and dental offices that provide WiFi services to customers, effectively transforming them into extensions of NSA surveillance apparatus.
Critics, such as Goitein, have voiced concerns about the broad implications of this expansion, noting that entities compelled to provide data under the bill would be subject to stringent gag orders, preventing them from discussing the information disclosed. Despite facing opposition, the bill managed to pass the U.S. House of Representatives on April 13, albeit with some modifications aimed at shortening the duration of the proposed surveillance powers and making minor adjustments to the list of service providers subject to surveillance.
However, Goitein argues that these amendments do little to mitigate the expansive nature of NSA surveillance envisioned by the bill. She contends that the revised legislation could potentially enlist a wide range of professionals, including cleaners, plumbers, and IT service providers, who may inadvertently become "proxy spies" by virtue of their access to customers' internet infrastructure.
The bill has stirred controversy across the political spectrum, with opposition voices decrying it as a significant infringement on citizens' constitutional rights. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has been particularly vocal in his criticism, labeling the bill as "horrible" and pledging to take measures to prevent its passage in the Senate. Meanwhile, Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has denounced Section 702 as an "irresponsible extension" of NSA powers, suggesting that government agencies should be required to obtain search warrants if they seek access to private data.
