"The same industry also sells that data, including bulk cell phone location data, to police departments and federal government agencies in ways that can reveal intimate details about Americans without a warrant."
"After a 2015 change to the law, federal agencies are not supposed to collect data on U.S. citizens in bulk. But some found a workaround to requesting warrants by simply buying the data instead."
"Some 130 civil society organizations signed on to a letter urging members of Congress to include closing the data broker loophole in FISA 702 reauthorization, citing the 'unprecedented expansion of warrantless mass surveillance.'"
"Patel declined to do so, instead saying the FBI 'uses all tools' and 'we do purchase commercially available information that's consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.'"
Data brokers acquire extensive electronic information from apps and browsers, selling it to advertisers and government agencies, often without warrants. Privacy advocates see a chance for Congress to address this issue during the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, set to expire soon. Despite a 2015 law change limiting bulk data collection on U.S. citizens, agencies have circumvented this by purchasing data. Civil society organizations urge Congress to close the loophole, citing risks of mass surveillance and AI-powered monitoring.
Read at www.npr.org
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