Intelligence leaders are lobbying Congress to keep a controversial surveillance law in place despite concerns it has been used to spy on American citizens.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect broad swathes of data including texts, emails, and phone calls from foreigners living outside of the United States.
The law also allows intelligence agencies to collect “incidental” information on American citizens whenever an American interacts with a foreigner under surveillance and has their communications incidentally spied upon as well.
Detractors say that the law effectively grants intelligence agencies a means of circumventing the Constitution, while proponents say the law is necessary to stop time-sensitive terror threats….