A key US surveillance authority expired early Saturday amid growing concerns over national security as the World Cup commenced, with Washington still deadlocked over leadership of the intelligence community. The lapse affects Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits US intelligence agencies to collect communications from foreign targets abroad without a warrant, including those involving contacts inside the United States.
Section 702 has been a cornerstone of US counterterrorism and espionage efforts for years, allowing government agencies to monitor foreign threats more effectively. However, civil liberties advocates and members of both political parties have criticized the program for its potential to inadvertently collect Americans' communications without sufficient oversight or safeguards.
The authority expired at midnight on Friday after both the House of Representatives and Senate failed to approve a short-term extension on Thursday. This development comes as the United States co-hosts the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, an event that will bring millions of international visitors to stadiums across 11 host cities amid heightened global tensions, particularly concerning Iran and other security challenges. President Donald Trump has emphasized the importance of maintaining the surveillance program to ensure safety during the tournament and the upcoming 250th anniversary of US independence celebrations.
FBI Director Kash Patel underscored the bureau's top priority of preventing terrorist attacks related to the World Cup. “Extremists have used major global sporting events in the past to do harm and spread their twisted ideologies,” Patel stated, pledging continuous efforts to protect players, fans, and all individuals in the United States during the event.
Despite the expiration, the immediate effects on surveillance operations remain unclear. Section 702 surveillance is also governed by annual certifications approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). The court granted a certification in March valid through March 2027, theoretically allowing some intelligence activities to continue in the absence of congressional renewal. Nevertheless, experts caution that the situation is legally ambiguous, especially if telecommunications and technology companies decline to comply without explicit legal indemnity.
Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Mark Warner expressed concerns that communication providers may no longer cooperate without statutory protections, potentially hampering intelligence gathering. “If they don’t carry the indemnification that the law provides them, they won’t provide this information,” Warner explained at a press briefing.
The stalemate reflects longstanding debates over privacy and surveillance authority, which have intensified following President Trump’s controversial appointment of a loyal but reportedly inexperienced acting intelligence chief, amid allegations of politicizing government surveillance tools. With both chambers of Congress in recess until late June, prospects for promptly restoring Section 702 remain uncertain.
Warner sharply criticized the president’s role in the impasse, calling the expired authority “a live hand grenade” thrown into ongoing, though difficult, bipartisan negotiations. He warned of the dire consequences if a security incident occurs during the World Cup without full intelligence capabilities. “We don’t want to go into the World Cup without having all of our tools, and this is a critical tool,” he said.