Proposed Patriot Act Reforms Not Enough To Curtail US Government Spy Powers - Rights Group

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2020) New US House legislation to overhaul government surveillance powers before they expire on March 15 will likely fail to prevent abuses, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Senior Legislative Counsel Neema Guliani said in a statement.

Two US House panels will begin marking up proposed legislation on Wednesday to reauthorize and reform expiring provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and USA PATRIOT Act.

"The [House] proposal does not go far enough," Guliani said on Tuesday. "Congress must require additional notice and disclosure for individuals targeted or prosecuted using information obtained from FISA surveillance, limit the types of records that can be obtained by the government under the Patriot Act, and reform the FISA court process to enhance accountability, oversight, and transparency.

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The government has for too long abused its surveillance powers to wrongly spy on Americans," Guliani said.

The release also warned that if the FBI illegally spied on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, just think what it could do to the rest of American citizens.

In January, the US Justice Department concluded that the FBI improperly obtained warrants from the secret FISA court to spy on Page.