Some of the United States’ largest civil liberties teams are urging Senate majority chief Chuck Schumer to not pursue a short-term extension of the Section 702 surveillance program slated to sundown on December 31.

The greater than 20 teams—Demand Progress, the Brennan Center for Justice, American Civil Liberties Union, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice amongst them—oppose plans that might permit this system to proceed quickly by amending “must-pass” laws, such because the invoice wanted now to avert a authorities shutdown by Friday, or the National Defense Authorization Act, annual laws set to dictate $886 billion in nationwide safety spending throughout the Pentagon and US Department of Energy in 2024.

“In its current form, [Section 702] is dangerous to our liberties and our democracy, and it should not be renewed for any length of time without robust debate, an opportunity for amendment, and—ultimately—far-reaching reforms,” a letter from the teams to Schumer says. It provides that any try and lengthen this system by rushed modification “would demonstrate blatant disregard for the civil liberties and civil rights of the American people.”

The letter, which was first reported by Bloomberg Law, cited reporting by WIRED and CQ Roll Call. Schumer didn’t reply to a request for remark.

As WIRED has previously reported, surveillance beneath the 702 program could technically proceed for one more six months, no matter whether or not Congress reauthorizes it by the tip of December. The program was final licensed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in April 2023 for a full yr. “Transition procedures” codified in the statute allow surveillance orders to “continue in effect” till they expire.

The 702 program is controversial for its assortment of communications of “US persons.” The program legally targets roughly 1 / 4 million foreigners every year, gathering the content material of their textual content messages, emails, and cellphone calls, however collaterally intercepts an unknown however presumably great amount of American communications as effectively. This interception takes place with the compelled cooperation of US telecommunications corporations that deal with web site visitors at levels alongside international networks.

The program contains procedures for intercepting, storing, and querying the data in methods which are designed to “minimize” the chances of Americans’ rights being violated, however the guidelines are additionally topic to numerous exemptions. A high criticism of the 702 program is that it permits the Federal Bureau of Investigation to entry the calls and emails of US residents and not using a warrant and with out proof they’ve dedicated against the law.