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Privacy Advocates Push Dems To Do Something About Warrantless Surveillance
Eighty civil rights groups are urging the incoming Democratic-majority Congress to make privacy and surveillance reform a priority when it takes office in January. They want lawmakers to curb executive branch powers, arguing that surveillance has expanded beyond foreign intelligence and that civil liberties should not depend on who occupies the White House.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, used to collect communications from people outside the US without warrants, lapsed in June, though the National Security Agency can continue operating under it until March 2027. Trump administration officials and Democratic Representative Jim Himes are pressing for renewal during the current lame-duck session, while advocates say a later renewal could include stronger safeguards for searches involving Americans. The groups also call for limits on government access to location data, agency surveillance and the purchase of personal information from data brokers; several cities recently voted against Flock camera systems or their installation without public approval.
In short
- Eighty groups want Democrats to prioritise surveillance reform.
- Section 702 can continue operating until March 2027.
- Advocates also seek limits on location data and data brokers.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Renewing Section 702 and maintaining broad surveillance powers can help intelligence agencies identify foreign threats and act quickly, including when communications involving Americans are incidentally collected. Supporters of renewal may argue that the authority is valuable but can be paired with targeted safeguards, and that limits on access to location data or other intelligence could leave serious gaps in national security work.
The case against
Section 702 and related surveillance practices can expose Americans’ communications and sensitive location data to government searches without the protections of a warrant, even when the original collection targets people abroad. Advocates argue that stronger safeguards and limits on data-broker purchases are needed to protect civil liberties consistently, regardless of which party controls the executive branch.