Get the latest tech news

Section 702: The Future of the Biggest US Spy Program Hangs in the Balance

The US Congress will this week decide the fate of Section 702, a major surveillance program that will soon expire if lawmakers do not act. WIRED is tracking the major developments as they unfold.

The United States government, like its rivals in Moscow and Beijing, has poured untold millions of dollars into quietly turning the phones and internet browsers of its own citizens into a powerful intelligence-gathering tool. This week, Johnson is working to resolve the lingering issue of reauthorizing Section 702, a key foreign surveillance program authorized by Congress to target terrorists, cybercriminals, and narcotics traffickers overseas. On Tuesday, Zwillinger and coauthors Steve Lane and Jacob Sommor described the latest version of the bill as a “marginal improvement” but, nevertheless, “problematic.” The main addition to the text is a list that excludes certain categories of businesses from being compelled to cooperate with 702 demands, including "dwellings, restaurants, and community facilities."

Get the Android app