Court Rules F.B.I. Violated Surveillance Program Guidelines

The FBI violated rules for querying messages intercepted under the Section 702 surveillance program, according to a newly declassified court ruling. The bureau used the program to search for information about hundreds of Americans who came under scrutiny in connection with the George Floyd protests and the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The FISA court permitted the program to operate for another year based on changes the FBI had made to improve compliance. The disclosure of the misuses is likely to provide fodder to critics of the program as the Biden administration seeks to persuade Congress to renew it.