US appeals court upholds gag orders on FBI data surveillance

National security letters are usually issued with a gag order, meaning the target is often unaware that records are being accessed. Pictured is FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray.

WASHINGTON: A US federal appeals court on Monday upheld nondisclosure rules that allow the FBI to secretly issue surveillance orders for customer data to communications firms, a ruling that dealt a blow to privacy advocates. 

A unanimous three-judge panel on the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco sided with a lower court decision in finding that rules permitting the Federal Bureau of Investigation to send national security letters under gag orders are appropriate and do not violate the First Amendment of the US Constitution's free speech protections.