Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act
Good
Passed the House in the 118th Congress; died in the Senate●○○ Low threatUpdated January 3, 2025
A protective bill that would stop the government buying Americans' data from brokers to sidestep a warrant. Passed the House in 2024, died in the Senate.
IntroducedJuly 18, 2023
Latest actionPassed the House in the 118th Congress; died in the Senate (January 3, 2025)
What it does
The Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act would stop police and intelligence agencies from buying Americans' location and communications data from brokers without a court order. It closes the gap that lets agencies purchase what they would otherwise need a warrant to get.
Why it matters
Buying data from brokers is how agencies skip the warrant. Shutting the broker loophole puts the court order back in front of information about ordinary people.
Our take
One of the good ones. It passed the House with a bipartisan majority in 2024, then stalled in the Senate against White House objections. The idea keeps returning because the broker loophole keeps growing.
Previous versions
- 117th Congress (2021)S.1265Died in committee
- 118th Congress (2023)H.R.4639Passed the House 219-199; died in the Senate
IssuesSurveillance
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