The House of Representatives has failed to renew the US government's warrant-less surveillance law, guaranteeing its lapse for the first time. The law, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), allows US intelligence agencies to collect information on Americans to identify foreign hackers and terrorists.
The expiration is a result of lawmakers protesting the appointment of a controversial Trump ally to oversee US intelligence agencies. Critics have called for reform of FISA, citing abuses of the law by past US administrations.
The US government's spy powers are unlikely to cease immediately, as programs authorized under FISA were already approved in March. However, phone companies may be unwilling to share customer call logs without a clear law allowing them to do so.
