On January 18, the Senate passed the amended bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ("FISA") for six years, now Public Law No. 115-18. The FISA program, which was set to expire on January 19, allows intelligence agencies to collect data on foreign nationals suspected to be national security threats who use American communication services and internet technology. The final version of the legislation did not contain a proposed amendment supported by privacy advocates, called the USA Rights Act, which would have required a warrant for searching the FISA intelligence database for information on Americans. The legislation had already been approved by the House of Representatives.
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