50 USC 1873 - Annual reports

View all text of Subchapter V [§ 1871 - § 1874]

§ 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.)