Civil Rights Groups Demand Congress Remove Section 702 From Defense Authorization Bill

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For Immediate Release Civil Rights Groups Demand Congress Remove Section 702 From Defense Authorization Bill (New York, NY 11/30/23) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), Demand Progress, Fight For The Future, Secure Justice, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, Our Revolution, Freedom To Thrive, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, Coalition for a District Alternative, National Immigrant Justice Center, Stop AAPI Hate, and Village Independent Democrats submitted a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanding they remove Section 702 reauthorization from the National Defense Reauthorization Act (NDAA) of 2024. The civil rights groups condemned the FBI’s systematic abuse of Section 702 databases to target American citizens and U.S. persons, including Black Lives Matter protesters. Created in the aftermath of 9/11 and set to expire this year, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) contains sweeping electronic communications authorizations that the CIA, FBI and NSA search hundreds of thousands of times per year, frequently violating rules designed to protect Americans' privacy. SEE: Sign-on Letter to  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries https://www.stopspying.org/s/NY-letter-NDAA-11-30-23.pdf Wired - A Controversial US Surveillance Program May Get Slipped Into a ‘Must-Pass’ Defense Bill https://www.wired.com/story/section-702-reauthorization-ndaa-2023/ “Section 702 is rotten and Congress must trash it on the expiration date,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Staff Attorney Nina Loshkajian. “Any surveillance power this sweeping is incompatible with democracy. Sneaking in this reauthorization through the NDAA without adequate debate is a betrayal of the public's trust, and particularly of the communities that have been most harmed by the warrantless surveillance Section 702 enables.” SEE: Washington Post -  FBI misused surveillance tool on Jan. 6 suspects, BLM arrestees and others https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/19/fbi-digital-surveillance-misuse-jan6-blm/ Earlier this month, S.T.O.P. joined over 30 civil rights groups in successfully pressuring Schumer to remove Section 702 from a bill necessary to avert a government shutdown.  SEE: Brennan Center For Justice - Coalition Statement Urges Senator Schumer to Keep Reauthorization of Section 702 Out of Continuing Resolution https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/coalition-statement-urges-senator-schumer-keep-reauthorization-section The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.