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‘RED ALERT’: Legal Expert Warns New ‘Reform Bill’ Is the ‘Biggest Expansion of Surveillance’ Since the Patriot Act
“Hotels, libraries, coffee shops, and other places that offer Wi-Fi to their customers could be forced to serve as surrogate spies.”

THE VIGILANT FOX
DEC 11, 2023

“Buried in the House intelligence committee’s Section 702 ‘reform’ bill, which is scheduled for a floor vote as soon as tomorrow (12/12/23), is the biggest expansion of surveillance inside the United States since the Patriot Act,” warned Elizabeth Goitein in a viral and disturbing X thread.

Elizabeth Goitein is a prominent legal expert specializing in national security, privacy, and constitutional issues. She serves as the co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-partisan law and policy institute. Goitein is known for her expertise in areas such as government surveillance, privacy rights, and the balance between national security and civil liberties. She frequently writes and speaks on these topics, offering critical insights and advocating for the protection of individual rights in the context of national security.

The House Intelligence Committee’s FISA “Reform” Bill, known as the FRRA, is set to significantly expand the scope of entities required to assist in FISA 702 surveillance. This expansion is due to a change in the definition of “electronic communication service providers” (ECSPs), potentially implicating a wider range of businesses and individuals in surveillance activities. Critically, the bill could allow the government warrantless access to nearly any communication system in America.

Gotein stated that under the proposed bill, entities with access to communication-transmitting equipment, like Wi-Fi routers in “hotels, libraries, coffee shops,” could be “forced to serve as surrogate spies.” She stated that this is not a theoretical concern but a significant issue, as even FISA Court amici have publicly cautioned against this provision.