New legislation renewing surveillance program draws fire across party lines

Both sides of the political aisle have slammed the latest legislation implementing a three-year reauthorization for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in the wake of the House's approval of a 10-day extension following failed attempts to achieve an 18-month renewal, CyberScoop reports.

The new bill that would prohibit usage of Section 702 to target Americans was regarded by the Center for Democracy and Technology's Jake Laperruque lack reform. Similar sentiments have been expressed by American Civil Liberties Union's Kia Hamadanchy.

"The main reform just restates existing law . It's also completely irrelevant to the issue at hand, because backdoor searches have never been the product of the government intentionally targeting U.S. persons under 702," Hamadanchy said. While Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, has noted Johnson's bill to include "more robust privacy protections", support from other House Republicans and Democrats has been limited.