Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (50 U.S.C. § 1881a), enacted in 2008, authorizes the NSA, CIA, and FBI to compel U.S. communications providers to turn over messages sent to or from foreign intelligence targets located outside the United States. The program allows warrantless collection of foreign communications. However, when Americans communicate with those foreign targets, their messages are also collected — creating a large database of American communications that agencies can search without a warrant. The FBI queried this database more than 200,000 times in 2022 alone, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Critics call this a "backdoor search" that lets the government effectively conduct warrantless surveillance on Americans. Supporters say the program is essential for detecting terrorism, cyber intrusions, and foreign espionage.