In a recent development that has stirred significant concern among privacy advocates and citizens alike, Edward Snowden, the whistleblower known for exposing the vast surveillance operations of the National Security Agency (NSA), has warned of a forthcoming expansion of the NSA's surveillance powers.

Snowden warned that the NSA is only days away from "taking over the internet" with the vast expansion of its authority to spy.

Snowden's warning, delivered through a post on X (formerly Twitter), references a thread by Elizabeth Goitein, the co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, which outlines the potential consequences of a new bill on the horizon.

The bill aims to reform and extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), legislation allowing the NSA to compel internet service providers to surrender data related to specific NSA targets.

However, an 'innocuous change' in the bill's language could dramatically widen the net, requiring nearly every business or individual providing internet-related services to assist in NSA surveillance efforts.

Goitein highlights the gravity of this expansion, noting that it could encompass entities as varied as barber shops, fitness centers, and even dentist's offices.

"That sweeps in an enormous range of U.S. businesses that provide Wi-Fi to their customers and, therefore, have access to equipment on which communications transit."

Despite receiving initial pushback, particularly from privacy-conscious Republicans, the bill passed through the U.S. House of Representatives on April 13.

Representatives made Amendments to limit the spying powers' timeframe and slightly narrow the scope of service providers included under the surveillance measures.

Yet, critics like Goitein believe these adjustments fall short of addressing the overarching issue, with the potential to turn everyday service providers into 'surrogate spies' for the government.

The bill's progression has sparked a bipartisan backlash, with figures like Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna voicing strong opposition.

Luna, for instance, criticized the bill as an 'irresponsible extension' of the NSA's powers, emphasizing the need for government agencies to obtain warrants for data access.

The Senate is poised to vote on the bill on April 19, and its outcome will be closely watched by privacy advocates and government surveillance critics alike.

As the debate continues, the potential for one of the 'most dramatic and terrifying expansions of government surveillance authority in history' looms large. This highlights the ongoing struggle between national security measures and safeguarding individual privacy rights.