A quick breakdown of the recent renewal of FISA 702, and the implications it has on the civil rights of American citizens.
Edward Snowden has called the recent renewal of FISA 702, “the biggest encroachment on your privacy rights since the Patriot Act.”


In the middle of the night, in secret, the US Senate voted to renew FISA Section 702 as a part of a broader bill called the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISSA) H.R.7888.


The bill had passed through the House the week prior and was set to be voted on Wednesday but the vote was delayed. As Friday came and went, it appeared that we, the People, might have another weekend to rally against the Senate vote.


Alas, Americans woke up Saturday morning to find that the vote had taken place overnight and was signed into law over the weekend.


Mainstream Media would have you believe that the bill is vital for National Security and that the United States was in immediate and dire need of warrantless spying powers. The NY Times published an article titled, “Government Surveillance Keeps Us Safe.”


There is, of course, much more to the story.


Many members of the Senate were told by the House Intelligence Committee that the urgent vote was vital for national security but they were not told that FISA had already granted approval for Section 702 surveillance to continue until April 2025, even if the bill expired. The vote was held under the pretense of a blatant lie.


Warrantless spying not only lives on, it expands.


Liza Goitein is the Co-Director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice and has been following the renewal closely.
Liza Goitein is the Co-Director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice and has been following the renewal closely.


The bill didn’t just renew the FISA provision, which provides targeted warrantless spying powers to the administrative state, it also greatly expanded those powers by changing a few key definitions.


The amended provision will allow the government to require everyday Americans and regular businesses to spy on fellow citizens, effectively turning everyone into a spy. With the new provision in place, FISA courts can now compel anyone with access to communications equipment to cooperate with the NSA in collecting messages and communications. Previously the statute only authorized the collection of data and communications stored by U.S. internet service providers like Google, Facebook and Microsoft or telecom providers such as AT&T and Verizon.


With the new rules in place, nearly anyone, with few exceptions, can be compelled to access and turn over your data, giving US intelligence agencies extensive new powers.


Senator Ron Wyden, addressing the Senate floor, points out that the new powers could “for example, by forcing an employee to insert a USB thumb drive into a server at an office they clean or guard at night.” It must be considered how bitcoin and crypto companies could now be compelled to turn over full access to their records of every transaction ever facilitated. While such access already exists under BSA regulations there are still some checks and balances in place providing transparency to the process. This is not the case within the FISA court process. Furthermore, a case potentially could be made that the new regulations define node runners as facilitators of communication, opening up anyone running a bitcoin node to the threat of participation with the secret courts. The RISAA renewal of FISA Section 702 not only abolishes the Fourth Amendment rights of US Citizens, it is also being used to bypass First Amendment rights. A report from 2023, for example, showed that the FBI used Section 702 to spy on protesters and journalists. And that the FBI abused the authority of Section 702 over 300,000 throughout 2020 and 2021. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, FISA, was originally enacted to “provide judicial and negotiated oversight of foreign intelligence surveillance activities while maintaining the secrecy necessary to effectively monitor national security threats.” BJA The USA Patriot Act, first passed in 2001 and reauthorized in 2006, expanded FISA to allow the government to obtain the personal records of ordinary Americans from libraries and Internet Service Providers, even when they have no connection to terrorism. Section 702 is a key provision of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. The 2024 renewal of FISA Section 702 extends the provision for two years, under the new definitions. It's vital that anyone who cares about their right to privacy or about our First and Fourth Amendment rights as citizens of the United States make their voices heard so that when the time comes to renew the act, it cannot be done in the shadows of the night. This is a guest post by Michelle Weekley. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.

The FBI says crypto money transmitting services that purposely break the law or knowingly facilitate illegal transactions will be investigated. The FBI
has issued a public service announcement today, warning Americans against using unregistered and non-Know Your Customer (KYC) cryptocurrency money transmitting services.

This announcement, identified as Alert Number I-042524-PSA, urged Americans to only engage with registered Money Services Businesses (MSBs) that comply with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.

According to United States federal law, cryptocurrency money transmitting services must be registered as MSBs and adhere to AML requirements (31 USC § 5330; 31 CFR §§ 1010; 1022). The FBI says failure to comply may result in financial disruptions during law enforcement actions, particularly if funds are mixed with illegally obtained money.

The warning clarified that services that knowingly facilitate illegal transactions or violate federal laws are subject to investigation by law enforcement agencies, and that individuals using such services may lose access to their funds during enforcement operations.

Just yesterday, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested the founders and CEO of popular privacy focused Bitcoin wallet and mixer, Samourai Wallet, and charged them with laundering “more than $100 million in criminal proceedings.” The DOJ then worked with law enforcement in Portugal and Iceland to arrest one of the founders, and seized Samourai's web servers and domain, in addition to serving a seizure warrant on the Google Play Store for its mobile app.

Japanese public company Metaplanet has announced the purchase of ¥1 billion ($6.25 million) worth of Bitcoin, adopting Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset.
Metaplanet, a publicly-listed Japanese company providing hotel-related and other services, has announced the purchase of ¥ 1 billion (approximately $6.25 million) worth of Bitcoin. The company, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, declared its intention to adopt Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset earlier this month on X. Metaplanet stated its plan to buy ¥1 billion in Bitcoin as an initial commitment. The company's recent announcement on X revealed that they have fulfilled their commitment, purchasing ¥1 billion worth of Bitcoin. This move mimics closelys the strategy employed by MicroStrategy, a US-based company that has been accumulating Bitcoin since 2020 MicroStrategy's Bitcoin purchases have led to a dramatic increase in its share price. Following the announcement earlier this month, Metaplanet's stock price also saw a significant increase, indicating investor confidence in the company's decision to invest in Bitcoin. Jason, from Sora Ventures, referred to Metaplanet as "Asia's first MicroStrategy," highlighting the potential impact of this move on the Asian market. Click the image to learn more . Metaplanet's Bitcoin investment offers Japanese investors a unique opportunity to gain exposure to Bitcoin without incurring an unrealized gains tax, which can be as high as 55%. Additionally, anyone with an account on the Tokyo Stock Exchange can now indirectly invest in Bitcoin through Metaplanet without facing the regulatory risks associated with direct purchases. This development is seen as a positive step for Bitcoin and its market in Asia, as it demonstrates growing acceptance and adoption by traditional financial institutions and publicly listed companies.