After three days of negotiations, lawmakers reached an agreement to protect the privacy of American citizens. The amendment is aimed at innocent US citizens fromonline surveillance government protecting and warrantless searches.
The discussions were held behind closed doors. The amendment is based on a proposal by Zoe Lofgren and Warren Davidson, which would prohibit the FBI from monitoring Americans' browsing history without a warrant.
“After extensive deliberations, a vote will be held to include the final major reform to Section 215, the US law that protects civil liberties. Without this prohibition, intelligence agencies can access ,without a warrant, information such as health history, religious activities and political beliefs,” said Lofgren, a Democrat from California.
The Lofgren-Davidson would require the FBI to have a warrant even if there is a reasonable possibility data belonging to a U.S.. If the government wants to access the IP addresses of people who have visited a particular site, it would not have the right to do so without a warrant if American citizens are involved, unless it can guarantee that the individuals will not be identified.
According to Davidson: “For too long, too much of the private information of American citizens has been exposed by vague laws and inadequate safeguards. By voting in favor of the Lofgren-Davidson amendment, to overhaul the surveillance law, we are taking a big step toward restoring neglected rights for American citizens. Protecting online searches is a modest but very important first step. I will vote for the amendment, and I will urge my colleagues to do the same.”
The parliament is preparing for the vote, which will likely take place within the week. If the amendment finally “passes”, the way the FBI conducts investigations will change a lot.
