Don’t Leave the NSA in the Dark
A vital surveillance tool is up for reauthorization. A group of lawmakers wants to kill it. Lives are in the balance.
Keep listening.
Photographer: Brooks Kraft/Corbis
Even with the US facing a striking array of national-security challenges, a noisy group of lawmakers is threatening to curtail one of the government’s most effective overseas surveillance programs. If they succeed, they could be putting the entire country at risk.
Since 2008, the National Security Agency has used an authority known as Section 702 to collect the digital communications of foreigners located outside the US who are believed to possess intelligence information. Officials say the program has helped the US track and kill terrorist leaders, collect vital intelligence on adversaries, and thwart potential cyberattacks on businesses and critical infrastructure. Numerous independent reviews have confirmed the program’s value over the years. The White House recently called it a “cornerstone” of national security.