One of the most consequential decisions facing U.S. lawmakers this year is whether or not to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Although the Carter-era FISA is as old as I am, 2008’s Section 702 is a product of the War on Terror and is perhaps best known as the legal basis for the privacy-busting shenanigans exposed by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden a decade ago.
With Section 702 due to expire at the end of the year unless it is reauthorized, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board—which advises the White House—just dropped a major report on the matter. And it will not make easy reading for U.S. Big Tech, nor for Americans in general.
