India is cautiously observing the U.S.-China summit, fearing a potential U.S.-China 'grand bargain' might diminish its role in the Indo-Pacific, contrary to two decades of U.S. policy leveraging India as a counterbalance to China.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allowing warrantless collection of overseas communications, expires April 30. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Government Surveillance Reform Act to close backdoor search loopholes and prevent agencies from buying Americans' data from brokers. The Trump administration favors simple reauthorization without changes. Even if the law expires, surveillance could continue until March 2027 due to FISC certification.
Some lawmakers are calling for widespread reforms following years of surveillance scandals and abuses across successive U.S. administrations. But even if the spy law known as Section 702 expires in April, the government's spy powers will not automatically lapse.
