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Biden’s intelligence advisers recommend reforming FBI access to controversial spying tool
A board of presidential advisers recommend the White House supports a series of changes to improve compliance with the use of a controversial surveillance program, yet overwhelmingly backs reauthorization of the intelligence gathering tool, according to a report released Monday.
The report comes as Congress debates whether to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is set to expire at the end of the year. Lawmakers are expected to introduce legislation to reform the tool in the coming weeks.
One of the most notable of the 13 recommendations includes removing the FBI’s authority to conduct queries for non-national security-related crimes. “FBI’s use of Section 702 should be limited to foreign intelligence purposes only and FBI personnel should receive additional training on what foreign intelligence entails,” the report notes.
The report from the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board warns that repeated abuse of the spying tool by the FBI to search for the digital communications of U.S. persons has eroded public trust.