Worldwide surveillance
US government admits “inappropriate” espionage
8/1/2023 3:14 am
The practically uncontrolled surveillance of worldwide communications by the US secret services has long been a thorn in the side of critics. Advisors to the US government now admit that there have been violations of US law. However, they warn urgently against ending the program.
Advisors to US President Joe Biden have admitted violations related to controversial surveillance powers that allow US authorities to spy on people around the world. “Indifference, a lack of suitable procedures and the sheer mass” of surveillance have led to the “inappropriate use” of Section 702 in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by the US Federal Police FBI, the panel of independent advisers said.
However, the consultants found that there was “no evidence of deliberate abuse” by the FBI for “political purposes”. The panel concluded that ending the program could later go down in history as “one of the worst intelligence service mistakes of our time.”
Section 702 allows intelligence agencies such as the FBI or NSA to monitor electronic communications, such as email, from non-US citizens abroad without a court order. However, the regulation is also criticized in the USA because US citizens were also spied on under it.
The committee set up by the White House is therefore calling for reforms and a “refreshed system” to improve the current procedure. The powers are “crucial to national security.” The Democratic Party and civil rights activists in particular are opposed to Section 702, which is due to be extended in the US Congress in December.