<story><title>FBI misused surveillance powers more than 280k times in a year</title><url>https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/22/fbi_fisa_abuse/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>brvsft</author><text>&amp;gt; Why should an agency be allowed to spy on non-americans more anyway?&lt;p&gt;Non-Americans don&amp;#x27;t have the same rights as Americans. They may also be looked at more in a more adversarial manner.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m not suggesting this is right, just what I&amp;#x27;d guess the logic is.</text></item><item><author>Gasp0de</author><text>I have not thought this through, but it seems like that is what you get for implementing such a law in the first place? Why should an agency be allowed to spy on non-americans more anyway?&lt;p&gt;If they have a good reason, they can spy, and they can get a warrant for it. If they don&amp;#x27;t have a reason, they shouldn&amp;#x27;t be able to search anything, American citizen or not.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>ethbr0</author><text>Specifically in this context -- 9&amp;#x2F;11 and perceived ongoing threats from international terror.&lt;p&gt;A shocking and terrible event happens, a report identifies that intelligence agencies collectively had all the pieces to prevent it but were unable to see the entire picture due to compartmentalization, and the country decreases that compartmentalization.&lt;p&gt;Cause, reflection, and effect.&lt;p&gt;After that, it&amp;#x27;s been the intertia of &amp;quot;hidden privacy erosion&amp;quot; vs &amp;quot;visible perception of safety.&amp;quot; (Yes, actual safety has poor statistical support)&lt;p&gt;But democracies generally discount hidden evils and multiply visible goods when voting.</text></comment>
<story><title>FBI misused surveillance powers more than 280k times in a year</title><url>https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/22/fbi_fisa_abuse/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>brvsft</author><text>&amp;gt; Why should an agency be allowed to spy on non-americans more anyway?&lt;p&gt;Non-Americans don&amp;#x27;t have the same rights as Americans. They may also be looked at more in a more adversarial manner.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m not suggesting this is right, just what I&amp;#x27;d guess the logic is.</text></item><item><author>Gasp0de</author><text>I have not thought this through, but it seems like that is what you get for implementing such a law in the first place? Why should an agency be allowed to spy on non-americans more anyway?&lt;p&gt;If they have a good reason, they can spy, and they can get a warrant for it. If they don&amp;#x27;t have a reason, they shouldn&amp;#x27;t be able to search anything, American citizen or not.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>argiopetech</author><text>Constitutionally, I believe this is largely untrue. Non-citizens can&amp;#x27;t vote or hold federal office, but are otherwise granted the privileges assigned to all people by the remainder of the US Constitution. This likely (IANAL) only applies within the bounds of US borders&amp;#x2F;territories&amp;#x2F;holdings, but that&amp;#x27;s where the FBI should only be operating, IMHO.&lt;p&gt;The exceptions written to this by Congress (FISA, USA PATRIOT, etc.) are unconstitutional and should be struck down.</text></comment>