The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 authorizes the collection of electronic communications within the United States by compelling assistance from U.S. service providers.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by CRS, EFF, and government sources, but claim conflates the original 1978 statute with later amendments (notably FAA 2008/Section 702) that actually introduced compelled provider assistance for programs like PRISM. The core mechanism exists under the FISA framework broadly, though attribution to the 1978 act specifically is imprecise. [tier=gold indep_score=0.983 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- National Security Agency/Central Security Service > Signals ... (seed:military_and_intelligence)
- https://www.intelligence.gov/how-the-ic-works/intelligence-collection-authorities (corroboration)
- https://www.congress.gov/bill/95th-congress/house-bill/7308 (corroboration)
- https://www.eff.org/issues/foreign-intelligence-surveillance-act (corroboration)