Admission came during questioning at Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing

Admission came during questioning at Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has started buying location data on Americans, Kash Patel, FBI director, said under oath at the Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing on Wednesday.

Patel’s admission came in response to a question from the senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who is a longtime opponent of the warrantless surveillance of Americans. Wyden told Patel that his predecessor, Christopher Wray, testified in 2023 that the FBI did not at that time purchase location data derived from internet advertising, although he acknowledged that it had done so in the past.

  • Encephalotrocity@feddit.onlineEnglish
    1812·
    3 days ago

    Why is this news? If data is easily available why wouldn’t they simply pay for it? This wasn’t an "admission’ more than it was a “statement of the obvious”.

    If you think this wasn’t obvious you seriously need to look into exactly how much of your information is being accumulated and openly traded about you.

    • atzanteol@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      263·
      3 days ago

      Because:

      While law enforcement must get a judge-authorized search warrant to obtain location data directly from telecom companies, government agencies have instead been able to buy such information from private data brokers.

    • endlesseden@pyfedi.deep-rose.orgEnglish
      19·
      3 days ago

      news is about bringing awareness to the masses. so they can make informed decisions and act accordingly.

      articles like this are meant to tell the general public “Hey, start yelling at your politicians to fix this, before it’s you they are buying information on to target you for something you didn’t do!”

      • Grimy@lemmy.world
        3·
        3 days ago

        It points to a deeper problem if they can. These companies have no qualms selling it to foreign states, fascist groups, etc.

      • 4am@lemmy.zip
        32·
        3 days ago

        Not that they should, but that they’re bastards and they will if there’s nothing stopping them.

        • Encephalotrocity@feddit.onlineEnglish
          82·
          3 days ago

          Exactly. Not just that, but apparently it is okay that every other organization in the world knows everything about you except the FBI. The issue isn’t that law enforcement is buying information to get around warrant rules, but that your information is a public commodity in the first place.