National security officials have mounted a full-court press in recent weeks to try to head off major changes to the government's most important snooping authority, warning Capitol Hill that terrorists will benefit if lawmakers require the FBI to get a warrant before querying Americans' names in its massive trove of data.
Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Jen Easterly, left, FBI Director Christopher A.
“It would blind us to information already lawfully in our possession that we need to be able to review and act on in a very time-sensitive way to be able to stop terrorist attacks, protect a victim from a cyber attack, warn somebody who is potentially targeted with assassination or kidnapping,” he told lawmakers.
Lawmakers are expected to have a chance to add the warrant requirement through the amendment process on the House floor.He said Section 702 powers “have been essential to intercepting communications of dangerous foreign actors overseas, understanding the threats against our country, countering our adversaries, and saving countless American lives.”
Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who has pressed the government to reveal the extent of its purchases of private data, said things have gotten out of hand. Section 702 allows the government to collect massive amounts of electronic traffic from foreigners living abroad, though Americans’ communications can be scooped up if they are communicating with foreign targets. The controversy arises when the FBI wants to run an American’s identity against the data.
Among those bungles was an FBI lawyer altering an email to conceal the fact that Mr. Page had served as a source for the CIA. That information could have cut against the government’s case that he deserved to be probed.
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