The bill follows more than a decade of debate over post-Sept. 11, 2001, surveillance powers that allow domestic law enforcement to warrantlessly scan the vast mountains of data gathered by America's foreign surveillance apparatus. Reforms in the proposed legislation include putting limits on searches of Americans' communications without judicial authorization and a prohibition of so-called "backdoor" searches which invoke foreign intelligence justifications to spy on Americans. "We're introducing a bill that protects both Americans' security and Americans' liberty," Senator Ron Wyden - a Democrat and a longtime critic of government surveillance - said at a press conference on Tuesday. The reforms introduced Tuesday reflect discomfort over the practice of warrantless scans, which are authorized under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Reporting by Raphael Satter; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Ron Wyden, Amanda Andrade Rhoades, it's, Mike Lee, Representative Warren Davidson, Zoe Lofgren, Raphael Satter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Democrat, FBI, Foreign Intelligence, National Intelligence, Republican, Republican U.S, Representative, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Washington , U.S