50 USC 1871 - Semiannual report of the Attorney General

Collapse to view only § 1871. Semiannual report of the Attorney General

§ 1871. Semiannual report of the Attorney General
§ 1872. Declassification of significant decisions, orders, and opinions
§ 1873. Annual reports
§ 1874. Public reporting by persons subject to orders

§ 1871. Semiannual report of the Attorney General

(a) ReportOn a semiannual basis, the Attorney General shall submit to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, and the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in a manner consistent with the protection of the national security, a report setting forth with respect to the preceding 6-month period—

(1) the aggregate number of persons targeted for orders issued under this chapter, including a breakdown of those targeted for—

(A) electronic surveillance under section 1805 of this title;

(B) physical searches under section 1824 of this title;

(D) access to records under section 1861 1

1 See References in Text note below.

of this title;

(E) acquisitions under section 1881b of this title; and

(F) acquisitions under section 1881c of this title;

(2) the number of individuals covered by an order issued pursuant to section 1801(b)(1)(C) 1 of this title;

(3) the number of times that the Attorney General has authorized that information obtained under this chapter may be used in a criminal proceeding or any information derived therefrom may be used in a criminal proceeding;

(4) a summary of significant legal interpretations of this chapter involving matters before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, including interpretations presented in applications or pleadings filed with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review by the Department of Justice; and

(5) copies of all decisions, orders, or opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review that include significant construction or interpretation of the provisions of this chapter.

(b) Frequency

(c) Submissions to CongressThe Attorney General shall submit to the committees of Congress referred to in subsection (a)—

(1) not later than 45 days after the date on which the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review issues a decision, order, or opinion, including any denial or modification of an application under this chapter, that includes significant construction or interpretation of any provision of law or results in a change of application of any provision of this chapter or a novel application of any provision of this chapter, a copy of such decision, order, or opinion and any pleadings, applications, or memoranda of law associated with such decision, order, or opinion;

(2) a copy of each such decision, order, or opinion, and any pleadings, applications, or memoranda of law associated with such decision, order, or opinion, that was issued during the 5-year period ending on July 10, 2008, and not previously submitted in a report under subsection (a);

(3) for any hearing, oral argument, or other proceeding before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review for which a court reporter produces a transcript, not later than 45 days after the government receives the final transcript or the date on which the matter of the hearing, oral argument, or other proceeding is resolved, whichever is later, a notice of the existence of such transcript. Not later than three business days after a committee referred to in subsection (a) requests to review an existing transcript, the Attorney General shall facilitate such request; and

(4) a copy of each declassified document that has undergone review under section 1872 of this title.

(d) Protection of national security

(e) DefinitionsIn this section:

(1) Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

(2) Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review

(Pub. L. 95–511, title VI, § 601, as added Pub. L. 108–458, title VI, § 6002(a)(2), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3743; amended Pub. L. 110–261, title I, §§ 101(c)(2), 103, title IV, § 403(b)(2)(B), July 10, 2008, 122 Stat. 2459, 2460, 2474; Pub. L. 114–23, title VI, § 604, June 2, 2015, 129 Stat. 297; Pub. L. 118–49, § 8(b), Apr. 20, 2024, 138 Stat. 874.)

§ 1872. Declassification of significant decisions, orders, and opinions

(a) Declassification required

(b) Redacted form

(c) National security waiverThe Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Attorney General, may waive the requirement to declassify and make publicly available a particular decision, order, or opinion under subsection (a), if—

(1) the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Attorney General, determines that a waiver of such requirement is necessary to protect the national security of the United States or properly classified intelligence sources or methods; and

(2) the Director of National Intelligence makes publicly available an unclassified statement prepared by the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence—

(A) summarizing the significant construction or interpretation of any provision of law, which shall include, to the extent consistent with national security, a description of the context in which the matter arises and any significant construction or interpretation of any statute, constitutional provision, or other legal authority relied on by the decision; and

(B) that specifies that the statement has been prepared by the Attorney General and constitutes no part of the opinion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review.

(Pub. L. 95–511, title VI, § 602, as added Pub. L. 114–23, title IV, § 402(a)(2), June 2, 2015, 129 Stat. 281; amended Pub. L. 118–49, § 7, Apr. 20, 2024, 138 Stat. 873.)

§ 1873. Annual reports

(a) Report by Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts

(1) Report requiredThe Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall annually submit to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, subject to a declassification review by the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence, a report that includes—

(A) the number of applications or certifications for orders submitted under each of sections 1805, 1824, 1842, 1861,1

1 See References in Text note below.

1881a, 1881b, and 1881c of this title;

(B) the number of such orders granted under each of those sections;

(D) the number of applications or certifications denied under each of those sections;

(E) the number of appointments of an individual to serve as amicus curiae under section 1803 of this title, including the name of each individual appointed to serve as amicus curiae;

(F) the number of findings issued under section 1803(i) of this title that such appointment is not appropriate and the text of any such findings; and

(G) the number of times the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review exercised authority under chapter 21 of title 18 and a description of each use of such authority.

(2) Publication

(b) Mandatory reporting by Director of National IntelligenceExcept as provided in subsection (d), the Director of National Intelligence shall annually make publicly available on an Internet Web site a report that identifies, for the preceding 12-month period—

(1) the total number of orders issued pursuant to subchapters I and II and sections 1881b and 1881c of this title and a good faith estimate of—

(A) the number of targets of such orders;

(B) the number of targets of such orders who are known to not be United States persons; and

(2) the total number of orders issued pursuant to section 1881a of this title, including pursuant to subsection (f)(2) of such section, and a good faith estimate of—

(A) the number of targets of such orders;

(B) the number of search terms concerning a known United States person used to retrieve the unminimized contents of electronic communications or wire communications obtained through acquisitions authorized under such section, excluding the number of search terms used to prevent the return of information concerning a United States person;

(C) the number of queries concerning a known United States person of unminimized noncontents information relating to electronic communications or wire communications obtained through acquisitions authorized under such section, excluding the number of queries containing information used to prevent the return of information concerning a United States person; 2

2 So in original. Probably should be followed by “and”.

(D) the number of instances in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened, under the Criminal Investigative Division or any successor division, an investigation of a United States person (who is not considered a threat to national security) based wholly or in part on an acquisition authorized under such section;

(3) the total number of orders issued pursuant to subchapter III and a good faith estimate of—

(A) the number of targets of such orders, including—

(i) the number of targets of such orders who are known to not be United States persons; and

(ii) the number of targets of such orders who are known to be United States persons; and

(B) the number of unique identifiers used to communicate information collected pursuant to such orders;

(4) the number of criminal proceedings in which the United States or a State or political subdivision thereof provided notice pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of section 1806 of this title (including with respect to information acquired from an acquisition conducted under section 1881a of this title) or subsection (d) or (e) of section 1825 of this title of the intent of the government to enter into evidence or otherwise use or disclose any information obtained or derived from electronic surveillance, physical search, or an acquisition conducted pursuant to this chapter;

(5) the total number of orders issued pursuant to applications made under section 1861(b)(2)(B) 1 of this title and a good faith estimate of—

(A) the number of targets of such orders; and

(B) the number of unique identifiers used to communicate information collected pursuant to such orders;

(6) the total number of orders issued pursuant to applications made under section 1861(b)(2)(C) 1 of this title and a good faith estimate of—

(A) the number of targets of such orders;

(B) the number of unique identifiers used to communicate information collected pursuant to such orders; and

(C) the number of search terms that included information concerning a United States person that were used to query any database of call detail records obtained through the use of such orders; and

(7) the total number of national security letters issued and the number of requests for information contained within such national security letters.

(d) Exceptions

(1) Statement of numerical range

(2) Nonapplicability to certain information

(A) Federal Bureau of Investigation

(B) Electronic mail address and telephone numbers

(3) Certification

(A) In generalIf the Director of National Intelligence concludes that a good faith estimate required to be reported under subsection (b)(2)(C) cannot be determined accurately because some but not all of the relevant elements of the intelligence community are able to provide such good faith estimate, the Director shall—

(i) certify that conclusion in writing to the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives;

(ii) report the good faith estimate for those relevant elements able to provide such good faith estimate;

(iii) explain when it is reasonably anticipated that such an estimate will be able to be determined fully and accurately; and

(iv) make such certification publicly available on an Internet Web site.

(B) Form

(e) Mandatory reporting by Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation

(g)3

3 Subsec. (f) is set out in an Amendment of Section note below.

DefinitionsIn this section:

(1) Contents

(2) Electronic communication

(3) National security letterThe term “national security letter” means a request for a report, records, or other information under—

(A)section 2709 of title 18;

(B)section 3414(a)(5)(A) of title 12;

(D)section 1681v(a) of title 15.

(4) United States person

(5) Wire communication

(Pub. L. 95–511, title VI, § 603, as added Pub. L. 114–23, title VI, § 602(a), June 2, 2015, 129 Stat. 292; amended Pub. L. 115–118, title I, § 102(b), Jan. 19, 2018, 132 Stat. 9; Pub. L. 118–49, §§ 11(a)(1), 12(a), 14(b), Apr. 20, 2024, 138 Stat. 878, 879, 882.)

§ 1874. Public reporting by persons subject to orders

(a) ReportingA person subject to a nondisclosure requirement accompanying an order or directive under this chapter or a national security letter may, with respect to such order, directive, or national security letter, publicly report the following information using one of the following structures:

(1) A semiannual report that aggregates the number of orders, directives, or national security letters with which the person was required to comply into separate categories of—

(A) the number of national security letters received, reported in bands of 1000 starting with 0–999;

(B) the number of customer selectors targeted by national security letters, reported in bands of 1000 starting with 0–999;

(C) the number of orders or directives received, combined, under this chapter for contents, reported in bands of 1000 starting with 0–999;

(D) the number of customer selectors targeted under orders or directives received, combined, under this chapter for contents, reported in bands of 1000 starting with 0–999;

(E) the number of orders received under this chapter for noncontents, reported in bands of 1000 starting with 0–999; and

(F) the number of customer selectors targeted under orders under this chapter for noncontents, reported in bands of 1000 starting with 0–999, pursuant to—

(i) subchapter III;

(ii) subchapter IV with respect to applications described in section 1861(b)(2)(B) 1

1 See References in Text note below.

of this title; and

(iii) subchapter IV with respect to applications described in section 1861(b)(2)(C) 1 of this title.

(2) A semiannual report that aggregates the number of orders, directives, or national security letters with which the person was required to comply into separate categories of—

(A) the number of national security letters received, reported in bands of 500 starting with 0–499;

(B) the number of customer selectors targeted by national security letters, reported in bands of 500 starting with 0–499;

(C) the number of orders or directives received, combined, under this chapter for contents, reported in bands of 500 starting with 0–499;

(D) the number of customer selectors targeted under orders or directives received, combined, under this chapter for contents, reported in bands of 500 starting with 0–499;

(E) the number of orders received under this chapter for noncontents, reported in bands of 500 starting with 0–499; and

(F) the number of customer selectors targeted under orders received under this chapter for noncontents, reported in bands of 500 starting with 0–499.

(3) A semiannual report that aggregates the number of orders, directives, or national security letters with which the person was required to comply into separate categories of—

(A) the total number of all national security process received, including all national security letters, and orders or directives under this chapter, combined, reported in bands of 250 starting with 0–249; and

(B) the total number of customer selectors targeted under all national security process received, including all national security letters, and orders or directives under this chapter, combined, reported in bands of 250 starting with 0–249.

(4) An annual report that aggregates the number of orders, directives, and national security letters the person was required to comply with into separate categories of—

(b) Period of time covered by reports

(1) A report described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) shall include only information—

(A) relating to national security letters for the previous 180 days; and

(B) relating to authorities under this chapter for the 180-day period of time ending on the date that is not less than 180 days prior to the date of the publication of such report, except that with respect to a platform, product, or service for which a person did not previously receive an order or directive (not including an enhancement to or iteration of an existing publicly available platform, product, or service) such report shall not include any information relating to such new order or directive until 540 days after the date on which such new order or directive is received.

(2) A report described in paragraph (3) of subsection (a) shall include only information relating to the previous 180 days.

(3) A report described in paragraph (4) of subsection (a) shall include only information for the 1-year period of time ending on the date that is not less than 1 year prior to the date of the publication of such report.

(d) DefinitionsIn this section:

(1) Contents

(2) National security letter

(Pub. L. 95–511, title VI, § 604, as added Pub. L. 114–23, title VI, § 603(a), June 2, 2015, 129 Stat. 295; amended Pub. L. 115–118, title II, § 205(a)(4), Jan. 19, 2018, 132 Stat. 21.)