The Substance-Free Progressive Position on FISA

Conn Carroll / January 28, 2008

Progressives are in near hysterics over the possibility that the temporary changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act made in August 2007 will be made permanent before they expire and that US companies that assisted US intelligence efforts before the temporary changes were made will receive protection from frivolous lawsuits.

In their more honest moments some progressives will admit that FISA needs “a single uncontroversial technical correction.” The way many of them gloss over the details of that correction and instead throw around provocative phrases like “warrantless eavesdropping powers” betray how unserious they are about national security. Passed in 1978 FISA required US intelligence agencies to obtain warrants to monitor communications through wire and cable since those calls were mostly domestic, but also allowed US intelligence to conduct needed warrantless surveillance on radio and satellite communications since most of the calls were international. Technology has since changed so that now most international to international communications run through wires and cables (think emails), many of which exist in the United States. (more…)