The president, Donald Trump, today signed a law that renews for six years the program by which the National Security Agency (NSA) collects data without the need for a court order on the digital communications of foreigners outside the country.
“I just signed into law 702 to reauthorize the collection of foreign intelligence,” Trump wrote in his Twitter account.
The law renews Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), through which the NSA collects information about Internet communications from foreigners outside the United States, including those that they maintain with US citizens.
That procedure was subject to scrutiny following the leaks of ex-spy Edward Snowden in 2013 due to its implications on privacy, which have been criticized by civil rights organizations.
The US intelligence services see the program as a key tool in their work, and both the White House and the Republican leaders of Congress have defended the utility of that mechanism to help prevent terrorist attacks.
“Intelligence (which is produced with this program) is vital to keep the Nation safe.” As the recent attacks in New York and the rest of the world demonstrate, we face a constant threat from foreign terrorist networks and other foreign actors who want us. hurt, “Trump said today in a statement.
“To detect and prevent attacks before they occur, we must be able to intercept communications from foreign targets over which there is reasonable suspicion that they possess foreign intelligence information,” Trump added, noting that the program “has saved American lives.” .
Despite the White House’s interest in passing the law, Trump criticized the measure last week on Twitter, saying it could have been used by the government of Barack Obama to spy on his presidential campaign in 2016, an accusation against the that has not provided evidence.
Today, Trump wanted to make it clear to his followers that the one who signed “is not the same FISA law that they abused so much during the elections.”
“I will always do the right thing for our country and prioritize the security of the American people!” The president tweeted.
