Today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), in consultation with the Department of Justice (DOJ), publicly released a January 2025 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) opinion with redactions. In the opinion, the FISC denied the proposed use of the surveillance technique sought by the U.S. government because the FISC found that the proposed use did not meet the requirements of the FISA statute. Title I of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) requires that, prior to issuing an order authorizing electronic surveillance, the FISC must determine, among other things, that there is probable cause to believe (A) that the target of the collection is a foreign power or agent of a foreign power, and (B) that “each of the facilities or places at which the electronic surveillance is to be directed is being used, or is about to be used, by a foreign power or agent of a foreign power.” 50 U.S.C. 1805(a)(2).
The Verdict
Be the first to vote on this assessment.
Embed Badge
Add this badge to your site to show the AI classification for this content.
[](https://real.press/content/90f2877f-bddd-4a5d-a4d9-987e41bec3c2)