"The FBI uses all tools to do our mission. We do purchase commercially available information that's consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and it has led to some valuable intelligence for us. This statement from FBI Director Kash Patel indicates the agency's continued commitment to data purchasing despite previous claims of stopping the practice."
"So you're saying that the agency will buy Americans' location data. I believe that that's what you've said in kind of intelligence lingo, and I just want to say as we start this debate, doing that without a warrant is an outrageous end-run around the 4th Amendment. It's particularly dangerous given the use of artificial intelligence to comb through massive amounts of private information. Senator Wyden's response highlights constitutional concerns about warrantless surveillance."
The FBI acknowledged restarting purchases of Americans' location data without warrants, reversing its 2023 position. FBI Director Kash Patel stated the agency purchases commercially available information consistent with the Constitution and Electronic Communications Privacy Act, claiming it produces valuable intelligence. When questioned by Senator Ron Wyden about the practice, Patel declined to commit to stopping it. Wyden criticized the warrantless data purchases as an unconstitutional end-run around the Fourth Amendment, expressing particular concern about artificial intelligence being used to analyze massive amounts of private information. The revelation contradicts former FBI Director Christopher Wray's 2023 testimony that the agency had ceased such purchases.
Read at Ars Technica
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