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Last Update: 10/27/2026 at 5:33 AM EST
Government Data-Broker Purchases
Coverage from AOL, Politico, and others
U.
S. federal agencies can obtain personal information—including location histories drawn from apps, advertising systems, and other commercial sources—by purchasing it from data brokers. The practice has drawn scrutiny because courts have required warrants for some comparable records obtained directly from communications providers, while agencies and defenders argue that commercially available data is governed by different legal rules and can support investigations. Lawmakers and civil-liberties advocates are pressing proposals such as the Government Surveillance Reform Act and the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act to require warrants or court orders, clarify privacy protections, and strengthen oversight.
Looking Back
931 Day Timeline
Feb '24
Jul '24
Dec '24
May '25
Oct '25
Mar '26
Aug '26
All Articles28 articles
Important
404 Media reported that credit bureau and data broker pipelines can supply ICE access through Thomson Reuters CLEAR, including warrantless personal data searches.
7/26/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
ICE sought RFI responses on using commercially available adtech and tracking data for investigations as Congress considered warrant requirements for federal data purchases.
5/30/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 17 states urged Congress to restrict federal agencies use of commercial data and AI tools for mass surveillance without judicial oversight.
3/25/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
FBI Director Kash Patel testified in Congress that the Department of Justice pays data brokers for commercially available information used in law enforcement, sparking oversight and warrant-limit proposals.
3/20/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
ICE uses purchased data-broker location information for surveillance as Congress considers FISA Section 702 reauthorization to close the warrantless mass-surveillance loophole.
3/25/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
CORCA in the NDAA would expand DHS and ICE authority to collect and share retail shopper data as Senate movement was expected within two weeks, critics cite broad surveillance risks.
7/10/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
US government agencies in the United States are using data broker purchases in the 2020s to obtain sensitive personal and location data without warrants, exploiting gaps in Fourth Amendment doctrine and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.
2/13/2024 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in the 2020s, FBI Director Kash Patel stated the FBI restarted commercial purchases of Americans' location data despite prior warrantless acquisition acknowledgments.
3/19/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
More than two dozen privacy and civil-rights organizations urged Congress, in a letter, to investigate reported DHS and ICE access to Thomson Reuters Special Services CLEAR platform and its commercially aggregated personal data.
8/12/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
More than 130 organizations urged the United States Congress in 2026 to reject CORCA over proposed federal access to retail consumer data.
8/10/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
Anthony G. Brown and 17 state attorneys general urged Congress to stop federal agencies from buying brokered data and using AI for mass surveillance without judicial warrants.
3/28/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
Rob Bonta and 17 state attorneys general asked Congress to halt federal agencies' purchases of commercial data and AI tools that enable mass surveillance without warrant-based oversight.
3/25/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
Congressional and state lawmakers are addressing government purchases of sensitive personal data from brokers through federal and state warrant proposals in the United States.
8/4/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
The United States policy debate urges Congress to require court orders before federal agencies purchase sensitive data from brokers as Section 702 reauthorization approaches.
4/27/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and other state attorneys general call on Congress to close warrantless bulk data broker sale loopholes for federal agencies.
4/2/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
Senate Intelligence Committee lawmakers challenged FBI Director Kash Patel in a hearing about warrantless purchases of data-broker location histories, prompting calls for the Government Surveillance Reform Act.
3/19/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
A legal analysis contends in the 2020s United States that government purchases of commercial location data from brokers do not constitute Fourth Amendment searches, shifting privacy protection to statutory regulation.
1/1/1900 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
The Center for Democracy & Technology and 29 civil society organizations urged Senate committee leaders in Washington, DC, to review DHS access to sensitive data through Thomson Reuters CLEAR.
8/21/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
The Department of Homeland Security plans a $125 million purchase of commercial personal data while commentary critiques third-party doctrine effects on warrant requirements.
7/23/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
Attorney General Raúl Torrez and coalition of state attorneys general urged Congress to close a data-broker loophole enabling warrantless federal AI surveillance of Americans.
3/24/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
U.S. Attorney General Bonta and state attorneys general urged Congress to reform data broker loopholes after alleging federal agencies buy mobile location data and airline records for warrantless surveillance.
3/24/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
The U.S. Senate confirms renewed FBI purchases of location data, linked to ad-tech data broker ecosystems, enabling surveillance concerns without warrants.
3/23/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
On March 18, 2026, the Senate Intelligence Committee heard FBI Director Kash Patel confirm FBI purchases of data-broker information that can include Americans' location data.
3/20/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
Kash Patel told lawmakers the FBI resumed purchasing data-broker location and movement information, drawing scrutiny over warrants and Fourth Amendment compliance.
3/19/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
Kash Patel told senators the FBI buys broker location data, while Ron Wyden introduced the Government Surveillance Reform Act to require warrants and close a broker loophole.
3/22/2026 • Data Collection & Surveillance Practices • General
Privacy and civil rights organizations asked Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown in Maryland on Wednesday to investigate companies allegedly selling residents' location and personal data to law enforcement and immigration authorities.
8/20/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
Maryland privacy and civil rights organizations asked Attorney General Anthony Brown in Maryland to investigate companies allegedly selling residents' location data to law enforcement and immigration authorities.
8/24/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General
We Are CASA and allied organizations asked Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on August 19, 2026, in Maryland to investigate data brokers accused of selling residents' location data to ICE and law enforcement.
8/20/2026 • Regulation, Law & Enforcement • General