American tech may be forced to do so
The U.S. House of Representatives recently agreed to reauthorize a controversial spy bill called Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Not only did the House extend its mandate for at least another two years, but it also significantly expanded its reach. While the US Senate will now vote on the legislation, many commentators are concerned.
One specific amendment, described by privacy advocates as a “Make Everyone a Spy” provision, has drawn widespread criticism. The reformed FISA seeks to expand the definition of U.S. electronic communications service providers required to spy on people’s calls, text messages and emails. This is a level of surveillance that even the best VPN services could not mitigate.
The US Senate is expected to vote on what is known as the Reforming the Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA) on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. What is certain now is that an agreement will deal a major blow to everyone’s privacy — regardless of whether you are a foreigner living abroad or a U.S. citizen.
A dangerous bill
Ron Wyden, the senior U.S. senator from Oregon, is one of several commentators who have railed against what he described as “a dangerous bill.”
“This provision is unnecessary and there is certainly no justification for this massive expansion of supervisory authorities,” Wyden said a day before the Senate vote, calling on his colleagues to reject these expanded powers – see the video below .
1/ 🚨🚨🚨Watch: Senator @RonWyden’s speech about a terrifying provision in the FISA Section 702 Bill (RISAA) that will turn virtually anyone into a spy is both dystopian and realistic. We urge everyone to call their U.S. Senators at 202-899-8938 as soon as possible and tell them to vote NO! pic.twitter.com/qCzcf72hKRApril 17, 2024
Section 702 is a spy program created more than a decade ago, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack. It allows the government to force major telecommunications companies to cooperate with authorities during anti-terrorist investigations by eavesdropping on people’s private communications.
The targets of FISA are selected foreign citizens living abroad. Yet many American conversations have been tapped under this law over the years. Reports of abuse by FBI agents showed how this scheme was illegally used to gain access to the communications of tens of thousands of American protesters, journalists and politicians.
The RISAA bill is intended to do two things. It aims to extend Section 702 before its April 19 expiration date, while introducing new changes to expand its scope and make the regulations fit for the current internet technology landscape.
Under the most worrying of these provisions, “any other service provider that has access to equipment that is or may be used to transmit or store wired or electronic communications” will be required to spy on people’s communications at the request of the government. A duty that has since been exclusively reserved for telecommunications companies, email providers and similar companies.
“(This) means that if you have access to any communications, the government can force you to help spy on them. That means anyone with access to a server, a cable, a cable box, a Wi-Fi router, a phone or a computer,” says Wyden, arguing that this could just as easily include IT engineers as people who clean offices or monitor buildings.
“If this provision goes into effect, the government could replace any of these people against their will and essentially force them to become an agent for Big Brother,” he added.
If you work at an American tech company, this bill could turn your entire company into a spy machine – whether you like it or not – and it will be voted on DAYS. The government has to lobby to kill this thing. This is what a red alert looks like. https://t.co/bOQoEjVoYiApril 15, 2024
The long list of opponents even includes former President Donald Trump, who calls for “Kill FISAWhile privacy advocate and exiled whistleblower Edward Snowden turned to
What is the future for online privacy?
As mentioned, RISAA’s boost to the US surveillance machine will have serious consequences for our online privacy – whether we live in the United States or not.
For starters, “the U.S. does not recognize any foreign citizen abroad as having privacy rights,” WIRED reported. This means that while the espionage project should target individuals believed to be associated with Hamas, ISIS or any other terrorist group, any of us could ultimately be tapped by US spy agencies without even the US Congress knowing. is.
Privacy violations are also not difficult to foresee for US residents. As Wyden noted, reproductive data tracking has already become even more invasive in the 15 U.S. states that have banned abortion.
“Congress should protect Americans’ privacy, not the president new supervisory powers,” he said.
Perhaps the greatest irony is that as people in the US move closer to having their privacy protected under federal law for the first time, RISAA could ultimately thwart these efforts again.