This bill matters because it concerns the balance between national security and personal privacy. Section 702 is a major tool for stopping terrorism and cyberattacks, but it is also criticized because it allows the government to look at Americans' private messages without a warrant if they are talking to someone overseas.

If this bill didn't pass and the authority lapsed, intelligence agencies would lose their primary legal way to get data from U.S. tech companies about foreign targets. Because this extension is so short (only 11 days), it suggests that Congress is facing a deadline pressure-cooker and needs just a little more time to finalize a much larger deal or reform package regarding government spying.