The US government, like its rivals in Moscow and Beijing, has spent untold millions of dollars quietly turning its citizens' cell phones and internet browsers into powerful intelligence-gathering tools. Secret deals between federal agencies and commercial data brokers have allowed U.S. information systems to amass “vast amounts” of what experts call “secret information” about Americans.
Most Americans are unaware of the true scope and scale of the surveillance they are subject to.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has faced ongoing controversy over domestic intelligence breaches during his short tenure as speaker, and although he previously supported some privacy measures, he has not yet announced strong new restrictions on government data access. , now that they are in power, they are working to defeat them.
This week, Prime Minister Johnson is working to resolve the lingering issue of reauthorizing Section 702, a major foreign surveillance program authorized by Congress that targets foreign terrorists, cybercriminals and drug traffickers. The program is scheduled to officially end on April 19th.
Congressional sources told WIRED that a series of briefings between lawmakers and intelligence officials are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as a number of developments that could significantly change the terms of the agreement. A vote to keep the plan in place could be held as early as Thursday after a small vote. A program for years to come.
Privacy advocates' focus has shifted almost entirely to the proposed amendment, which aims to force the FBI and other agencies to apply for a warrant before accessing Americans' communications. By the way Captured by the United States under Project 702.
Thursday's vote on the 702 program will be at least the third the chairman has scheduled since December. In each case, Prime Minister Boris Johnson waited until the last moment to delay the vote, leaving a fog of uncertainty over the entire process. Lawmakers are privately debating next steps if the speaker decides to simply let the program expire, avoiding new legal restrictions on the government's most important surveillance weapon.
As the situation is sure to evolve rapidly over the next 48 hours, WIRED will update this article with the latest details as they become available. Please see below for the latest development status.
