The Protect Our Civil Liberties Act would repeal two major surveillance laws: the USA PATRIOT Act and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, along with related provisions that expanded government surveillance powers after 9/11. The bill would require federal agencies to destroy information collected under these laws about U.S. citizens when it is not related to active investigations. The legislation also imposes new restrictions on intelligence gathering by requiring warrants based on probable cause for surveilling Americans under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and Executive Order 12333, prohibiting the government from forcing tech companies to build backdoors into encryption, and establishing annual audits of federal compliance with surveillance laws. Additionally, the bill provides protections for intelligence community whistleblowers who report illegal activities or waste by prohibiting retaliation and allowing them to report complaints to Congress and the Comptroller General.
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