NSA Targeted 106,000 Foreigners in Spy Program Up for Renewal
- Congress hasn’t had to renew program since Snowden revelations
- Number of people surveilled is up from about 94,000 in 2015
The National Security Agency campus in Fort Meade, Maryland.
Photographer: Brooks Kraft/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe U.S. National Security Agency conducted targeted surveillance over the past year against 106,000 foreigners suspected of being involved in terrorism and other crimes, using powers granted in a controversial section of law that’s set to expire at the end of this year.
The number of foreigners targeted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act rose from 94,000 in fiscal year 2015, according to U.S. intelligence officials, who asked not to be identified discussing the information. The program lets agencies collect the content of emails and other communications from suspected foreign criminals operating outside the U.S., but it has become a flash point with some lawmakers for potential infringement of Americans’ constitutional rights.