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FBI Resumes Buying Americans' Data, Sparks Outrage

3/18/2026

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Story summary
  • The FBI resumed purchasing Americans' data and location histories for federal investigations, confirmed by Director Kash Patel at a Senate hearing.
  • This is the first acknowledgment since 2023 that the agency actively buys such data from brokers.
  • Senator Ron Wyden criticized the practice as an "outrageous end-run around the Fourth Amendment."
  • Lawmakers introduced the Government Surveillance Reform Act to require warrants for federal agencies to acquire personal information.