The US president has signed into law a bill that extends the government’s warrantless spying powers for two years.
Joe Biden signed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after it passed the Senate by 60 against 34 votes. The move was slammed by privacy advocates inside and outside Congress. They said it allows intelligence agencies to spy on the communications of non-US citizens, including communications on such service providers as Google. The activist group, Demand Progress, said the law is a dangerous tool in the hands of any president and a historic mark of shame. The Brenan Center for Justice also said the law is shameful and is a gift to any president who would wish to spy on political enemies, journalists and ideological opponents.