S.T.O.P. Condemns House’s Secret 702 Session, Warns ‘Democracy Dies In Darkness’

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns House’s Secret 702 Session, Warns ‘Democracy Dies In Darkness’ (New York, NY 2/13/24) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns Speaker Mike Johnson for planning a rare secret session of the whole House to reauthorize Section 702 mass surveillance powers this week. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) grants sweeping surveillance powers that the FBI illegally abuses thousands of times per year to track U.S. citizens, despite hollow promises that the powers would only target foreign nationals. This would be the first closed House session since 2008, blocking public oversight in the face of bipartisan opposition to renewing the draconian surveillance powers.  SEE: Politico Reporter Jordain Carney – Tweet https://twitter.com/jordainc/status/1756825690786124038?s=20 Wired - A Backroom Deal Looms Over a High-Stakes US Surveillance Fight https://www.wired.com/story/section-702-reform-backroom-deal/ “Democracy dies in darkness, and Speaker Johnson is making sure none of us can see what happens in the House,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “It’s telling that House leaders are turning to these Orwellian tactics to reauthorize this dystopian surveillance regime. This mass surveillance program is simply indefensible on the merits, so house leaders and intelligence agencies would rather silence the public than have a real debate. If members of Congress believe this sweeping power should be renewed despite all the violations to date, all the ways Americans’ data has been wrongly sized, they should at least be willing to admit it publicly.” In November, S.T.O.P. joined fellow civil rights and privacy groups in submitting 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. SEE: Press Release - Civil Rights Groups Demand Congress Remove Section 702 From Defense Authorization Bill https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/11/30/civil-rights-groups-demand-congress-remove-section-702-from-defense-authorization-bill-1 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.