Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
1
7.4
- noun
- /ˈfɔrɪn ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns sɜrˈveɪləns ækt/
- Formal
:
Ley de Vigilancia de Inteligencia Extranjera
- He told us the warrantless eavesdropping program could not be conducted within the limits of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
- the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court warrant
Examples
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Massive secret wiretaps in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), later made legal by Obama and Congress.
Blog text (32) -
In 1978, Congress also passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which required a court order for the electronic monitoring of electronic signals within the United States, even in declared national-security cases or when the target was a foreign national.
Academic text (2009) -
We understand that the Senate will shortly be considering amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Blog text (17) -
You had the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to restrict government spying.
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Thank you for contacting me regarding efforts to revise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, also known as FISA.
Blog text (17) -
Although there was recently an incipient move in Congress to repeal the authorities granted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) amendments passed in 2008, that effort appears to have been beaten back.
Academic text (2010) -
Like my colleagues, I support the effort to detect and intercept terrorist communications, but, as I and many of my colleagues have stated innumerable times, this program should be conducted pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.
Blog text (17) -
One of the "most intrusive laws in America," the author claims, is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), which "created secret courts to review secret applications and issue secret decisions" relating to wiretap warrants.
Academic text (2010) -
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was enacted to ensure government surveillance activities adhere to constitutional standards.
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Amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act are currently being debated in Congress to improve oversight of intelligence activities.
Synonyms
61
8.8
A US law that allows secret court-approved spying on people in other countries
Surface Forms
Morphology
foreign + intelligence + surveillance + act
The phrase is fully compositional: 'act' = law, qualified by 'surveillance' of 'intelligence' that is 'foreign', so the overall meaning 'a law about monitoring foreign intelligence' is directly derivable from the parts. Although it names a specific U.S. statute, that proper-name status does not prevent a learner who knows the constituent words from understanding the general sense.
Etymology
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act name says its job: foreign means from other countries, intelligence means information about threats, surveillance means watching, and act means a law. That's why the name refers to the U.S. law that sets the rules and the special 'court' that must give permission for government 'watching' of foreign targets.