The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to renew the FISA Amendments Act for five years, The Washington Post reports. The White House supports the renewal, but civil libertarians and some lawmakers have expressed concerns the law allows intelligence agencies to spy on Americans without a warrant. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said, “The Congress never intended to authorize warrantless searches for the communications of specific Americans.” An Office of the Director of National Intelligence representative said, “The FISA Amendments Act is not a tool for spying on Americans.” The bill moves to the Senate, but will reportedly not be taken up until after the presidential elections. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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