Text 5102, 96 rader
Skriven 2007-08-06 23:31:16 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0708065) for Mon, 2007 Aug 6
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Fact Sheet: The Protect America Act of 2007
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary August 6, 2007

Fact Sheet: The Protect America Act of 2007 President Bush Signs
Legislation Modernizing Foreign Intelligence Law To Better Protect America

˙˙White House News

˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: National Security
"We know that information we have been able to acquire about foreign
threats will help us detect and prevent attacks on our homeland. Mike
McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence, has assured me that this
bill gives him the most immediate tools he needs to defeat the intentions
of our enemies. And so in signing this legislation today I am heartened to
know that his critical work will be strengthened and we will be better
armed to prevent attacks in the future."

President George W. Bush, 8/5/07

The Protect America Act Modernizes The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act (FISA) To Give Intelligence Professionals The Tools They Urgently Need
To Gather Information About Our Enemies, While Protecting The Civil
Liberties Of Americans. The Act, passed with bipartisan support in the
House and the Senate, restores FISA to its original focus on protecting the
rights of Americans, while not acting as an obstacle to conducting foreign
intelligence surveillance on foreign targets located overseas.
  ū Changes In Technology Since 1978 Had The Effect Of Expanding The Scope
    Of FISA's Coverage To Include Intelligence Collection Efforts That
    Congress Excluded From The Law's Requirements. This unintended
    expansion of FISA's scope meant the government, in a significant number
    of cases, needed to obtain a court order to collect foreign
    intelligence information against a target located overseas. This
    created an unnecessary obstacle to our Intelligence Community's ability
    to gain real-time information about the intent of our enemies overseas
    and diverted scarce resources that would be better spent safeguarding
    the civil liberties of people in the United States, not foreign
    terrorists who wish to do us harm.
  ū The Government Should Not Have To Obtain A Court Order To Conduct
    Surveillance On Foreign Intelligence Targets Located In Foreign
    Countries. This was not Congress' intent when it enacted FISA. As the
    Director of National Intelligence stated, continuing to operate under
    this outdated law meant our intelligence professionals were "missing a
    significant amount of foreign intelligence that we should be collecting
    to protect our country."

The Protect America Act Modernizes FISA In Four Important Ways
 1. The Act Permits Our Intelligence Professionals To More Effectively
    Collect Foreign Intelligence Information On Targets In Foreign Lands
    Without First Receiving Court Approval. The Act clarifies that the
    definition of electronic surveillance in FISA shall not be construed to
    encompass surveillance directed at a person reasonably believed to be
    located outside the U.S. This clarification restores FISA to its
    original intent and means intelligence professionals will not have to
    go to court in order to collect foreign intelligence on an overseas
    target who may be planning to attack the U.S.
 1. The Act Provides A Role For The FISA Court In Reviewing The Procedures
    The Intelligence Community Uses To Ensure That Surveillance Efforts
    Target Persons Located Overseas. The Attorney General is required to
    submit to the FISA court the procedures by which intelligence
    professionals will determine that the authorized acquisitions of
    foreign intelligence do not constitute electronic surveillance that is,
    the procedures by which the government determines that the acquisitions
    are directed at persons reasonably believed to be outside the United
    States.
 1. The Act Provides For The FISA Court To Direct Third Parties To Assist
    The Intelligence Community In Its Collection Efforts. The Act permits
    the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General to
    direct third parties to provide the information, facilities, and
    assistance necessary to conduct surveillance of foreign intelligence
    targets located overseas.
 1. The Act Protects Third Parties From Private Lawsuits Arising From
    Assistance They Provide The Government. No cause of action may be
    brought in any court against any person for complying with a directive
    to provide the Government with all information, facilities, or
    assistance necessary to accomplish the acquisition of foreign
    intelligence information.

Our Work Is Not Done This Act Is A Temporary, Narrowly Focused Statute To
Deal With The Most Immediate Needs Of The Intelligence Community To Protect
The Country. When Congress returns in September, the Intelligence
Committees and leaders in both parties will need to complete work on the
comprehensive reforms requested by Director of National Intelligence Mike
McConnell, including the important issues of providing meaningful liability
protection to those who are alleged to have assisted our Nation following
the attacks of September 11, 2001.

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