The bill (pdf) introduced by House Democrats yesterday to scale back the Protect America Act represents an effort to reconcile the surveillance powers that Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell has told Democrats he needs with civil liberties protections for U.S. citizens and residents. But to some degree, the bill is also an attempt to legislate in the dark. That’s because a lot still remains unknown about the extent of surveillance between people inside the U.S. and people overseas.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=179656