More specifically, they're oversight tools set up in 2006, following the awareness of the Bush Administration's use of warrentless wiretaps. The FISA revisions were to extend the flexibility of judges who were already allowed to retroactively provide legal permission up to 48 hours after the initial wiretapping began and approved over 95% of the wiretaps requested.

The Bush Administration simply refused to go through even that rubberstamp process. I was an intern in the House office where the initial compromise that became this bill was proposed, even if it was later named for a much more senior Congressman.

The FISA deal was a small retraction following a huge jump forward in intrusive government powers, so I'm proud to be supporting EFF's efforts to push privacy forward as much as possible, in light of the PATRIOT Act's overreach and similar during the past decade.