Foreign Advanced Technology Surveillance Accountability Act

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require information on the status of excessive surveillance and use of advanced technology to violate privacy and other fundamental human rights be included in the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Foreign Advanced Technology Surveillance Accountability Act 2. Amendments to annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended as follows: (1) In section 116 ( 22 U.S.C. 2151n (h) Status of excessive surveillance and use of advanced technology (1) In general The report required by subsection (d) shall include, wherever applicable, a description of the status of surveillance and use of advanced technology to impose arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy, or unlawful or unnecessary restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, or other internationally recognized human rights in each country, including— (A) whether the government of such country has adopted and is enforcing laws, regulations, policies, or practices relating to— (i) government surveillance or censorship, including through facial recognition, biometric data collection, internet and social media controls, sensors, spyware data analytics, non-cooperative location tracking, recording devices, or other similar advanced technologies, and any allegations or reports that this surveillance or censorship was unreasonable; (ii) extrajudicial searches or seizures of individual or private institution data; and (iii) surveillance of any group based on political views, religious beliefs, ethnicity, or other protected category, in violation of equal protection rights; (B) whether such country has imported or unlawfully obtained biometric or facial recognition data from other countries or entities and, if applicable, from whom; and (C) whether the government agency end-user has targeted individuals, including through the use of technology, in retaliation for the exercise of their human rights or on discriminatory grounds prohibited by international law, including targeting journalists or members of minority groups. (2) Definitions In this subsection— (A) the term internet and social media controls (B) the term extrajudicial targeted surveillance . (2) In section 502B(b) ( 22 U.S.C. 2304(b) (A) by redesignating the second subsection (i) (as added by section 1207(b)(2) of Public Law 113–4 (B) by adding at the end the following: (k) Status of excessive surveillance and use of advanced technology The report required under subsection (b) shall include, wherever applicable, a description of the status of excessive surveillance and use of advanced technology to restrict human rights, including the descriptions of such policies or practices required under section 116(h). .

Summary: Foreign Advanced Technology Surveillance Accountability Act This bill requires the Department of State to include information on the status of surveillance and use of advanced technology in each foreign country in its annual country reports on human rights practices. Specifically, the State Department must describe in such reports the status of excessive surveillance and the use of advanced technology (e.g., facial recognition or biometric data collection) to impose (1) arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; or (2) unlawful or unnecessary restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, or other internationally recognized human rights.