[20210406]IF11451_《外国情报监视法》（FISA）：概述.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated April 6, 2021Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): An OverviewIntroduction Congress enacted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in 1978. FISA provides a statutory framework for government agencies to obtain authorization to gather foreign intelligence by means of (1) electronic surveillance, (2) physical searches, (3) pen registers and trap and trace (PR/TT) devices (which record or decode dialing, routing, addressing, or signaling information), or (4) the production of certain business records. Agencies typically request authorization for such activities from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), a specialized court created by FISA to act as a neutral arbiter of agency requests for FISA orders. FISAs History Following revelations regarding widespread privacy violations by the federal government during the Watergate era, Congress enacted FISA to establish guidelines for government collection of foreign intelligence. FISA defines “foreign intelligence information” as information relating to a foreign power or that generally concerns the ability of the United States to protect against international terrorism o