Americans have been subject to warrantless surveillance under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. Section 702 is in direct violation of the 4th Amendment, which says: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
However, somehow Section 702 is law. It was used as justification to spy on the Trump campaign and millions of Americans without a warrant. (video: https://steemit.com/politics/@justicia/congress-poised-to-jam-through-reauthorization-of-mass-surveillance-section-702)
Section 702 was thought to be due to expire December 31st. But now, officials are arguing that they can keep Section 702 going until April in an article by the New York Times:
"The assumption may be that if the USA Liberty Act is not signed into law, then the provisions from Section 702 will no longer be legal and the U.S. government will stop collecting data from innocent Americans without warrants—but intelligence officials do not see it that way.
A spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Brian Hale, told the New York Times that “the government believes it can keep the program going for months,” even if it is not reauthorized.
Hale’s reasoning stems from the fact that every year, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court authorizes the program to operate for the next 12 months. Section 702 was last authorized by the court on April 26, 2017, leaving some lawmakers hopeful that even if the Liberty Act does not pass before the end of the year, Congress will find a way reauthorize Section 702 before it actually expires on April 26, 2018."
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/us/politics/warrantless-surveillance-legislation-section-702.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur