FISA

The US government has always been able to spy on its citizens. But AI is making it so easy, so fast, and so comprehensive that even the lawmakers who built the surveillance infrastructure are getting nervous. Section 702 of FISA expires April 30, 2026. What’s playing out on Capitol Hill isn’t a routine renewal — it’s a fight over whether AI-enhanced surveillance should operate without meaningful oversight in a democracy. ...

Your phone knows where you slept last night. Your email provider knows who you argued with this morning. Your browser knows what you’re worried about. Individually, these data points are mundane. Assembled by an AI system with access to government surveillance databases? They become the most detailed profile of your life ever constructed — and right now, Congress is fighting over whether to let that happen without a warrant. The FISA Fight Reaches Breaking Point Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act lets the government collect communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant. When an American contacts someone overseas, their communications get swept up too. The government can then search those intercepted American communications — no warrant required. ...