(AFP) – A major US surveillance authority is set to expire Friday, deepening concerns over national security as the World Cup gets underway and Washington remains deadlocked over President Donald Trump’s intelligence leadership.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows US spy agencies to collect communications of foreign targets overseas without a warrant, including when they contact people inside the United States. Officials describe the program as one of Washington’s most important counterterrorism and espionage tools, while privacy advocates and lawmakers in both parties have long warned that it can sweep up Americans’ communications without adequate safeguards. The authority expires at midnight Friday going into Saturday after the House of Representatives and Senate both failed to pass a short-term extension on Thursday.
The lapse comes as the United States co-hosts the World Cup with Canada and Mexico, bringing fans from the 48 participating countries to stadiums across the continent during a period of heightened tensions over Iran and other global conflicts. Trump himself cited the tournament — as well as next month’s celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence — in urging Congress to keep the program alive.
FBI Director Kash Patel said this week that preventing terrorist attacks during the World Cup is the bureau’s top priority, noting it is expected to be one of the largest US sporting events ever held, with 11 host cities and millions of expected international visitors. “Extremists have used major global sporting events in the past to do harm and spread their twisted ideologies,” he said in a statement, vowing that the FBI would work “non-stop” to ensure the safety of players, fans and “all Americans and visitors.”
– ‘Live hand grenade’ – The immediate consequences of expiration remain uncertain, however, because surveillance operations under Section 702 are authorized through annual certifications approved by the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The court approved a new certification in March, meaning some existing surveillance could theoretically continue until March 2027 even without fresh congressional action.
But lawmakers and intelligence experts warn that the legal picture is murkier in practice, especially if telecommunications and technology companies decide they no longer have sufficient legal protection to comply with government demands. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the issue had never truly been tested. “Cert runs through March, but what we believe… is that the communication providers — the telcos and Googles, and the others — if they don’t carry the indemnification that the law provides them, they won’t provide this information,” Warner told reporters at the US Capitol.
The standoff has been driven partly by longstanding privacy concerns, but escalated after Trump moved to install a loyal but inexperienced housing official as his acting intelligence chief, despite accusations that he weaponized government records to target Trump’s opponents. With the House out of session until June 23 and the Senate also leaving Washington, Congress has no clear path to restore the authority.
Warner accused Trump of throwing “a live hand grenade” into what had been a difficult but viable bipartisan negotiation. “God forbid, as we move into the World Cup, that something would happen,” Warner said. “But if something happens, it lies at the feet of the president… We don’t want to go into the World Cup without having all of our tools, and this is a critical tool.”
– Frankie TAGGART
© 2024 AFP
