§1821 Definitions

Summary

Defines key words used in this part of the law. Several terms — "foreign power", "agent of a foreign power", "international terrorism", "sabotage", "foreign intelligence information", "Attorney General", "United States person", "United States", "person", "weapon of mass destruction", and "State" — keep the same meanings they have in section 1801. "Aggrieved person" means someone whose place, property, information, or material was physically searched or was the target of such a search. "Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court" is the special court set up under section 1803(a). "Minimization procedures" are rules the Attorney General must create to limit collecting, keeping, and sharing nonpublic information about U.S. persons during a physical search while still letting authorities get needed foreign intelligence. These rules say non-foreign-intelligence nonpublic information should not be shared in a way that names a U.S. person without consent unless the identity is needed. The rules also let agents keep or share evidence of crimes for law enforcement. For searches approved under section 1822(a), no U.S. person’s information may be used, shared, or kept longer than 72 hours unless a court order under section 1824 is obtained or there is a threat of death or serious bodily harm. "Physical search" means any physical intrusion inside U.S. premises meant to seize, copy, inspect, or change information, material, or property where someone would expect privacy and a warrant would be needed, but it does not include "electronic surveillance" as defined in section 1801(f) or certain foreign-intelligence collection from foreign communications or foreign electronic systems done under other federal law by non-electronic-surveillance means.