April 18, 2024 at 01:35PM
The US House of Representatives passed the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act (H.R.4639) to restrict the government’s ability to procure data on citizens through data brokers. The bill seeks to ban the government from purchasing data on Americans from data brokers, drawing divided opinions. Additionally, other surveillance-related bills are also under discussion in Congress.
From the meeting notes, it is evident that the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act (H.R.4639) has been passed in the House of Representatives by a narrow 219-199 majority vote and is set to progress to the Senate. This draft law aims to restrict the US government’s procurement of data on citizens through data brokers. The bill has faced strong opposition from the White House, which argues that obtaining commercially available information (CAI) from data brokers is crucial for intelligence agencies and law enforcement. The White House emphasizes that the ban threatens national security and does little to protect the privacy of US citizens.
The bill has received support from organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which views its passage as a significant step toward safeguarding citizens’ privacy and reining in the government’s warrantless surveillance. Additionally, it is highlighted that other surveillance-related bills, including the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024, have also been introduced in Congress.
It is imperative to note the ongoing debate regarding the expansion of powers afforded to intelligence agencies under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), as the House recently passed the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), which plans to reinstate FISA’s Section 702. This has been met with opposition from groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and ACLU due to concerns about historic abuses of FISA powers.
Overall, the meeting notes reflect a complex and contentious landscape surrounding the regulation of government data procurement and surveillance, with divergent viewpoints from different stakeholders.