Congress takes up 'unmasking'

One of the most important surveillance tools used by intelligence officials in the fight against terrorism is headed for renewal before it expires at the end of the year.

But lawmakers in both parties pledge to make changes to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, they say are needed to protect privacy and prevent it from being abused for political purposes.

The House Judiciary Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee each took action on the provision in the past two weeks, adding new layers of protection aimed at shielding American citizens caught up in anti-terror surveillance and countering the pattern of unmasking of eavesdropped White House officials that has been damaging to the Trump administration.

The House panel last week voted to require intelligence officials to request a warrant from the FISA court before looking through emails and phone records of American citizens.

The panel also added a new requirement in response to a pattern of unmasking of Trump administration officials by people within the federal government who then leaked information to the press.