FBI abuses database containing Americans' personal information

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court announced on May 19 that the FBI had accessed the database a total of 278,000 times in recent years, mostly without apparent reason, according to AFP.

FBI found to have misused database 278,000 times

The database contains personal emails, text messages, and other communications collected by the National Security Agency (NSA) while it is spying on foreign targets. According to The Washington Post , the NSA and the FBI can access the database, but the FBI is only allowed to search for information when it has reason to believe it will serve foreign intelligence purposes, or yield evidence of a crime.

The FBI is only allowed access to investigate foreign-related cases, but court documents show the FBI has used the database for domestic US cases.

Specifically, FBI agents searched for information related to domestic drug and gang investigations, the names of victims and participants in protests following the 2020 death of George Floyd, a black man who was choked by police, and the riots at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. In another case, an agent searched for information in a database of 19,000 donors to a congressional election campaign.

The court held that there was no evidence of foreign intelligence or domestic crime that warranted the FBI's use of the database in the cases.

The court documents were released as Congress considers whether to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Section 702 allows the NSA to access internet accounts hosted on US servers to spy on foreign intelligence targets.

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Section 702 expires this year, and intelligence agencies are concerned that it will impact their operations. However, legal experts and many lawmakers say the changes are needed to protect Americans' personal information.

Sen. Ron Wyden, a critic of Section 702, said the court documents show shocking abuses by the executive branch. “If Section 702 is reauthorized, there must be legislative reforms to ensure checks and balances and end this abuse,” Wyden said.

The abuse of the surveillance tool could also draw backlash from the FBI, particularly from supporters of former President Donald Trump. House members with ties to Trump are holding hearings this week aimed at exposing the FBI’s bias against conservatives.

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