Congress is once again voting on whether to reauthorize FISA Section 702’s warrantless surveillance — and potentially introduce reforms. Get FISA Right’s FISA update: the fake “deadline” is approaching quickly is an overview of the complex political situation, with only a few days before the fake June 12 “deadline”. In April, 42 House Democrats voted with the majority of Republicans for a three-year extension without any real reforms — including Washington Reps. Kim Schrier, Marie Gluesenkamp Perz, and Marilyn Strickland. Fortunately the Senate said no, so instead they passed a short-term extension. And now, here we are.
It’s worth highlighting that the “deadline” isn’t real. Even if Section 702 doesn’t get reauthorized by June 12, the surveillance continues for another nine months: the FISA Court has already approved the certifications through March 2027. So Congress could re-authorize it during the lame duck session in December, or early next year. Still, surveillance hawks are still trying to use the fake “deadline” to create a sense of urgency.
The good news is that there’s strong bipartisan support for reforms like introducing a warrant requirement and closing the data broker loophole. Still, a lot can happen in the next four days, so we need to keep the pressure on.
So please contact your Representative! You can use the US Capitol switchboard at 202-224-312, call your legislators office directly. or use calling tools from Indivisible and QuitGPT if you prefer. Here’s a script:
Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City, State]. I am calling today to ask that [Senator Name] demand major reforms to Section 702 of the FISA, and to withhold your vote from reauthorization without reforms.
Specifically, it is essential that you withhold your vote from reauthorization until the legislation is amended to:
* Close the Backdoor Search Loophole
* Close the Data Broker Loophole
And please do not be fooled by fake reforms! Now more than ever in the era of mass AI, personal privacy and civil liberties must be protected.