FBI misused database for Jan 6 suspects, racial justice protests
Al JazeeraDec 25, 2022
The Facts
According to an opinion from the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA), which oversees US spy agencies, the FBI improperly searched an intelligence database for information on suspects in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots and those arrested during the 2020 George Floyd protests.
The court found that the FBI used the special intelligence database, launched after the 9/11 attacks and maintained under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to conduct over 300K alleged abuses between 2020 and early 2021.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The FBI hasn't followed its own ethical guidelines for a long time, going at least as far back as 2016 when it ordered the illegitimate FISA warrant to wiretap the Trump campaign. The agency that's supposed to protect Americans instead spied on hundreds of thousands of them — and that's just regarding two protest movements. As the law's renewal date nears closer, these abhorrent abuses of power will be on the minds of both parties in Congress.
Pro-establishment narrative
While there are certainly flaws in Section 702 that need correcting, America shouldn't forget that FISA searches have stopped ransomware and cyber attacks, helped combat aggression from China, and even aided in the drone strike on al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri last summer. The brave members of US intelligence agencies are constantly working to improve their analytical skills and ethical standards, but they shouldn't be stripped of this important tool due to a few mistakes.
