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FBI Is Buying Americans' Location Data, Director Patel Tells Senate
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the bureau buys location data from commercial brokers without warrants, enabling tracking of Americans' movements, sparking calls for legal reforms.
- During a Wednesday Senate hearing, Kash Patel, FBI Director, confirmed the agency purchases commercially available information, saying 'The FBI uses all tools... to do our mission'.
- On March 13, lawmakers introduced the Government Surveillance Reform Act to require warrants before agencies buy Americans’ data, as the FBI resumed commercial data purchases confirmed Wednesday.
- Data brokers source much of their location feeds from apps and ad‑tech services; James Adams, Defense Intelligence Agency Director, told senators his agency also purchases commercially available information.
- Public reaction mounted after Wyden posted on X that Kash Patel refused to deny buying Americans' location data, sparking outrage over an 'outrageous end run around the Fourth Amendment.'
- The legal theory that buying data avoids warrants remains untested in court and contrasts with the 2018 Supreme Court ruling on provider location data, while Wyden warned earlier this month about AI's risks from third-party location data.
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The FBI admitted the purchase of location data to track U.S. citizens. The agency uses this information within its current investigative processes. Kash Patel, director of the entity, revealed these acquisitions last Wednesday during a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Patel explained that they buy commercially available information. According to the leader, these transactions are compatible with the Constitution and the Electron…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources48
Leaning Left8Leaning Right6Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution48% Center
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources are Center
48% Center
L 30%
C 48%
R 22%
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