WASHINGTON | The American Senate approved on Saturday the extension of an electronic and telephone surveillance program abroad, widely used by American intelligence, but criticized by organizations protecting freedoms.
In a press release, the White House welcomed the extension of the device, “one of the most important intelligence collection tools of the United States”, and announced that President Joe Biden would “rapidly” promulgate the text.
The text in question, section 702 of the Foreign Surveillance Act (Fisa), allows American intelligence services to carry out electronic or telephone surveillance programs without necessarily requesting a judicial warrant.
The program targets non-Americans abroad in particular, including through email consultation.
The text is strongly denounced by organizations defending privacy and freedoms.
It was adopted a week ago in the House, but its renewal was the subject of heated debates.
Former President Donald Trump, who wants to dislodge Joe Biden from the White House, intervened in the debate by urging parliamentarians last week to “kill Fisa”.
The program “has been used against me and many others. They spied on my campaign team!!!” he said, without providing evidence, on his Truth Social network.
In mid-December, a senior White House official pleaded for its extension, saying that “with what is happening in Israel, with what is happening in Ukraine, with the threat that China represents, with what is happening to our strategic infrastructures, with cyberattacks, it would be a very bad time to unilaterally lay down our weapons.”
