Lawmakers vote to reauthorize US spying law that critics say expands government surveillance

The Senate passed legislation reauthorizing and expanding FISA Section 702 after a brief lapse, preserving warrantless queries of Americans’ communications within a foreign surveillance program despite bipartisan efforts to require warrants and curb expanded definitions of service providers. Backed by the White House and intelligence officials and opposed by privacy advocates and many communications providers, the measure follows recent FISA Court certification allowing operations into at least April 2025, with the law now set to expire at the end of 2026.