House reaches deal surveillance program amendment

Key House lawmakers have struck a deal on an amendment that would block law enforcement from accessing Americans’ web browsing history without a warrant.

The amendment from Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) to legislation reauthorizing surveillance programs set to be voted on this week was negotiated over the three-day Memorial Day weekend after it was confirmed Friday that leadership would allow it to be considered.

Lofgren said in a statement Tuesday that after “extensive bicameral, bipartisan deliberations, there will be a vote to include a final significant reform to Section 215 [of the USA Patriot Act] that protects Americans’ civil liberties.”

“For too long, Americans’ most private information has been compromised by vague laws and lax privacy protections,” Davidson said in a statement to The Hill.

“With the vote on the Lofgren-Davidson Amendment to FISA reform this week, we take an important step toward restoring Americans’ long-neglected Fourth Amendment rights,” he added. “Protecting Americans’ internet browser searches from warrantless surveillance is a modest, though important first step.”

The version of the amendment unveiled Tuesday would require a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to be obtained before gathering internet activity if the government is not sure if the subject is a U.S. person but might be, according to Lofgren’s office.