The FBI director stated that the BI is purchasing location data of American citizens.
At a Senate hearing held on March 18, 2026, FBI Director
FBI is buying data that can be used to track people, Patel says - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/18/fbi-buying-data-track-people-patel-00834080
Kash Patel says the FBI is buying Americans' location data | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/897145/kash-patel-ron-wyden-fbi-location-data-no-warrant
The Stored Communications Act (SCA) in the United States allowed police to investigate data such as cell phone location information without a warrant. However, the SCA was enacted in 1986, and it was pointed out that 'a law enacted in an era when the idea of carrying a phone everywhere did not exist should not be applied to the present day.' In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that 'police need a judge's warrant to access mobile service provider data and track individuals.'
'A court warrant is required to investigate cell phone location data,' the Supreme Court ruled - GIGAZINE
Subsequently, there have been cases wherethe FBI requested information on Android devices from Google based on a 'geofence warrant' to identify individuals who entered an area enclosed by a virtual boundary using their smartphone's location data during an investigation. However, regarding the acquisition of location data without a warrant, Christopher Wray, the 8th director of the FBI, stated in 2023 that 'the FBI used to purchase location data, but does not do so anymore.'
However, at a Senate hearing on March 18, 2026, Patel confirmed for the first time since Wray's statement that the FBI actively purchases people's data. Patel told senators, 'We purchase commercially available information that complies with the Constitution and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and that gives us valuable information.'
Patel's remarks were a response to the 'Government Oversight Reform Act,' introduced on March 13, 2026, by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and Republican Senator Mike Lee, which would require federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to obtain warrants when purchasing personal information of American citizens. In response to Patel's remarks, Wyden stated, 'Purchasing location data without a warrant is an outrageous act that violates the Fourth Amendment , which prohibits unreasonable investigations without a warrant, and is especially dangerous given that artificial intelligence is being used to scrutinize vast amounts of personal information.'
On the other hand, Republican Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate hearing, defended Patel, saying, 'The important point is that the data is commercially available (by brokers). If data that anyone, not just the FBI, can buy can help locate heinous child abusers and brutal drug cartel leaders, then I am confident that the FBI is doing everything it can to protect the safety of the American people.'
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in Security, Posted by log1e_dh