Arr, Wray be vouchin' for FISA, claimin' 'tis a weapon to catch and foil those Chinese scallywags hackin' our precious US infrastructure!
2023-07-21
Arrr, me hearties! The FBI be claimin' they've scuppered them Chinese hackers seekin' to pillage American infrastructure, alongside other scoundrels, usin' their fancy Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. That be what ol' Christopher Wray be tellin' Congress, swearin' by Davy Jones' locker!
In a letter to Congress, FBI Director Christopher Wray defended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), stating that it has been instrumental in detecting and thwarting Chinese hackers attempting to access critical U.S. infrastructure. Wray's letter emphasized the positive impact of the surveillance tool and highlighted the successes the FBI has had under his leadership. The letter comes on the same day that the FISA Court released its 2023 opinion, revealing that a U.S. senator, state senator, and state judge were queried under Section 702, demonstrating a failure to follow FBI policy. However, the opinion also acknowledged that the FBI has been doing a better job in applying the querying standard and noted a compliance rate of over 98% after the implementation of reforms. Wray argued that Section 702 is invaluable to the FBI's ability to gather intelligence on foreign adversaries and protect Americans and the homeland. He cited specific examples of how the tool has been pivotal in detecting and countering Chinese hackers and Iranian cyberattacks. Wray stressed the critical importance of Section 702 in combating evolving threats and called for its reauthorization with congressional oversight. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are proposing reforms to ensure the continuation of Section 702 beyond its sunset on December 31. The FBI looks forward to working with Congress to highlight the value of this authority and become the best stewards of foreign intelligence.