Two members of the House are proposing an amendment to Senate-passed reforms of the foreign intelligence surveillance act (FISA) that would prohibit the government from reviewing Americans' Internet search history without a warrant.
Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, put forth the suggestion, Fox News reported Tuesday, after the Senate failed by one vote to adopt a similar measure in a renewal of the act.
The FISA reform is a reaction to last year's Justice Department inspector general's report that revealed significant problems in the FBI's exercise of the authority granted in the law related to the surveillance of then-2016 Donald Trump presidential campaign adviser Carter Page. That surveillance and others led to the special prosecutor's probe of the Trump campaign's alleged ties with Russian officials.
The exact language of the amendment has yet to be finalized, according to Politico, but will get a vote.
The development comes following the Senate's 80-16 vote to renew the surveillance powers but with a handful of more broader restrictions that were negotiated by and given the approval of Attorney General William Barr. The Senate voted 59-37 on the Internet surveillance clause, falling one vote short needed for passage.
The FISA reforms have found bipartisan support from Democrats seeking more restrictions over intelligence gathering and Republicans who feel the FBI abused its authority to spy on the Trump campaign.
"Our Internet activity opens a window into the most sensitive areas of our private life," Lofgren and Davidson said in a letter to the House rules committee. "Without this prohibition, intelligence officials would potentially have access to information such as our personal health, religious practices, and political views."
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