{"id":995,"date":"2019-10-22T21:43:19","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T21:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/achangeiscoming.net\/?p=995"},"modified":"2019-10-22T21:43:19","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T21:43:19","slug":"fisa-news-section-215-sunsetting-december-chance-meaningful-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2024.thenexus.today\/index.php\/2019\/10\/22\/fisa-news-section-215-sunsetting-december-chance-meaningful-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"DRAFT: With FISA abuses in the news, and the USA Freedom Act sunsetting in December, it might get interesting"},"content":{"rendered":"

DRAFT!\u00a0\u00a0 Feedback welcome!<\/span><\/strong>
\nRevised version will be published on the Get FISA Right<\/em> blog<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Patriot Act was passed in 2001, and again when the FISA Amendment Act was passed in 2008, several key surveillance powers were supposed to “sunset” in a few years unless Congress voted to reauthorize them.\u00a0\u00a0 Which Congress has, repeatedly, usually without even introducing significant reforms.<\/p>\n

Now it’s the USA Freedom Act’s turn to sunset, on December 15 unless it’s renewed – specifically the business records (also known as “Section 215”, including the bulk collection of call records), roving wiretaps, and “lone wolf” provisions.*<\/p>\n

As is usually the case in these sunset battles, the administration has proposed making all the authorities permanent<\/a>; civil liberties advocates have proposed significant reforms<\/a>; and the likely outcome is somewhere in between.\u00a0 Of course, the impeachment hearings make it hard to predict what’s going to happen — how much energy does anybody have to spend on this?\u00a0 But as I wrote back in 2017<\/p>\n

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Urgency increases as we get closer to the sunset mechanism\u2019s looming deadline \u200a\u2014\u200awhich in turn often leads to short-term extensions. It\u2019s like watching sausage getting made, although with a lot more scary headlines and phone calls to Congress.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So buckle up!\u00a0\u00a0 I’ll go into more detail about the situation, but first a few things you can do right now:<\/p>\n