United States. Surveillance / law enforcement access. Act
FISA 702Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Section 702 (50 U.S.C. § 1881a)
Partly verified
Medium confidence.Status as of the June 2026 CRS sidebar. Reauthorisation bills (H.R. 8035, S. 3893) were pending; check whether Congress revived 702 after June 2026.
§1Summary
- Synopsis
Authorised targeted collection of foreign intelligence from non-US persons reasonably believed to be abroad, with compelled assistance from US electronic communication service providers. The authority lapsed on 12 June 2026, but directives issued under existing certifications remain effective until they expire.
- Key themes
- Unique features
Central to Schrems II; the 2024 RISAA expansion of the 'ECSP' definition was controversial for reaching data centre and cloud providers.
- SaaS relevance
US cloud/SaaS providers may still receive directives under surviving certifications until they expire, which remains relevant to EU transfer impact assessments.
§2Obligations
- Extraterritorial
- Yes
- Breach notification
- None
- DPO
- No
- Cross-border transfers
- Relevant to EU transfer risk assessments
- Maximum penalty
- Contempt for refusing directives
§3Dates
- Key dates
- Adopted
- In force
- Reauthorised by RISAA 2024-04-20 until April 2026; short-term extensions in April 2026 (incl. Pub. L. 119-87); title VII sunset 2026-06-12; FISC-approved one-year certifications (March 2026) continue under transition clause until about March 2027.
§4Text and authority
- Text
- Authoritative text uscode.house.gov
- Authority
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court; ODNI; DOJ; PCLOB
§5Where it applies
- Domestic law of
- United States
- Also applies in
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- US Virgin Islands
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
§6Sources and verification
- Sources consulted
- Verification
Medium confidence.
Partly verified
Medium confidence.Status as of the June 2026 CRS sidebar. Reauthorisation bills (H.R. 8035, S. 3893) were pending; check whether Congress revived 702 after June 2026.