Page 2 - aruba-today-20240411

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 11 april 2024

Conservative revolt in the House blocks effort to reauthorize a key U.S. spy tool

Continued from Front who have long championed
civil liberties aligning with
“We’re going to regroup and Republican supporters of
consider next steps,” John- Trump, who in a post on Truth
son told reporters after the Social on Wednesday stated
vote failed. “We can’t allow incorrectly that Section 702
this important provision to ex- had been used to spy on his
pire.” It marks the latest blow presidential campaign.
to Johnson’s leadership as he “Kill FISA,” Trump wrote in
faces being ousted from his all capital letters. “It was il-
job in the same stunning legally used against me, and
fashion as his predecessor. many others. They spied on
Hours before the vote, the my campaign.” A former ad-
Republican leader made a viser to his 2016 presidential
final push urging for passage, campaign was targeted
saying Congress must “ad- over potential ties to Russia
dress these abuses” without under a different section of
cutting off the surveillance the surveillance law.
program entirely. A specific area of concern
The bill’s failure also reflected for lawmakers has centered
the dramatic ideological on the FBI’s use of the vast
shift in the Republican Par- intelligence repository to look
ty, which for years after the up information about Ameri-
Sept. 11 attacks supported Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill cans and others in the U.S.
expansive surveillance in the Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Washington. Though the surveillance pro-
name of national security but Associated Press gram only targets non-Ameri-
has more recently walked Americans located outside times since taking the gavel eign Intelligence Surveillance cans in other countries, it also
back from that position the country to gather foreign in October to carry out the Court, which oversees surveil- collects communications of
thanks in part to lingering intelligence. The reauthoriza- basic functions of the gov- lance applications. Americans when they are in
outrage over the FBI’s in- tion is currently tied to a series ernment. U.S. officials have said the contact with those targeted
vestigation into Trump’s 2016 of reforms aimed at satisfy- It remains unclear now if the tool, first authorized in 2008 foreigners.
campaign. That skepticism of ing critics who complained proposal, backed by the and renewed several times In the past year, U.S. offi-
the government’s spy pow- of civil liberties violations Biden administration and since then, is crucial in dis- cials have revealed a series
ers has created an unusual against Americans. Johnson, would eventually rupting terror attacks, cyber of abuses and mistakes by
alliance between far-right But Republican opponents have enough votes to ad- intrusions and foreign espio- FBI analysts in improperly
Republicans and civil liber- have complained that those vance. nage and has also produced querying the intelligence
ties-minded Democrats. changes did not go far Though the program would intelligence that the U.S. has repository for information
The bill in question would enough. Among the detrac- technically expire on April relied on for specific opera- about Americans or others
renew Section 702 of the tors are some of Johnson’s 19, the Biden administration tions. But the administration’s in the U.S, including about
Foreign Intelligence Surveil- harshest critics, members of said it expects its authority efforts to secure reauthoriza- a member of Congress and
lance Act, which permits the ultra-conservative House to collect intelligence to re- tion of the program have en- participants in the racial jus-
the U.S. government to col- Freedom Caucus, who have main operational for at least countered fierce, and bipar- tice protests of 2020 and the
lect without a warrant the railed the speaker for reach- another year, thanks to an tisan, pushback, with Dem- Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S.
communications of non- ing across the aisle several earlier opinion from the For- ocrats like Sen. Ron Wyden Capitol. q

Internet providers must now be more

transparent about fees, pricing, FCC says

stand what you're actu- junk fees, price hikes, and WHAT'S BEHIND THE NEW
ally paying for," said Jon other unexpected costs.In- LABELING?
Donenberg, Deputy Direc- ternet service providers sell- Hidden fees and unexpect-
tor of the White House Na- ing home access or mobile ed rate hikes have dogged
tional Economic Council, broadband plans will be consumers shopping for in-
on a call with reporters. required to have a label for ternet service for years, and
"The broadband nutrition each plan beginning April the Biden administration
label is a tool that can help 10. The labels will be man- has been cracking down
consumers make sure they dated to appear at any on "junk fees" (opaque and
have a clear, straightfor- point of sale, including on- misleading fee structures)
This image provided by the Federal Communications Commission ward explanation of home line and in stores, and they across industries — includ-
shows a portion of a blank, sample broadband consumer label. and mobile services before will be required to disclose ing banking, hotel and air-
Associated Press signing up for anything." all pricing information — in- line pricing, and utility and
By CORA LEWIS of your service, thanks to Following the design of FDA cluding introductory rates, phone services — for the
Associated Press new rules adopted by the food labels, these broad- data allowances, and past several years.
NEW YORK (AP) — Much like Federal Communications band labels will provide speeds. The labels will also On a call Tuesday, a spokes-
nutritional labels on food Commission this week."If easy-to-understand, accu- include links to information person for the FCC clarified
products, "broadband la- you've ever shopped for rate information about the about network manage- that the labels "cannot be
bels" for internet packages home or mobile internet, cost and performance of ment practices and priva- buried in multiple clicks" or
will soon tell you just what you can understand how high-speed internet service cy policies. Here's what you hidden in a way that a con-
is going into the pricing hard it can be to under- to help consumers avoid need to know. sumer might miss. q