WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of targets of secretive surveillance in national security investigations fell sharply last year in large part because of the coronavirus pandemic. A government report released Friday tracks the drop in eavesdropping targets under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes the FBI to monitor the communications inside the United States of people suspected of being agents of a foreign power. It was the second straight year of a decline after several years of substantially larger numbers. Officials who briefed reporters said the restrictions enacted around the world on movement and large gatherings may have decreased the number of potential people or groups to surveil.
