The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has acknowledged buying location data of ordinary citizens from commercial vendors. The disclosure came during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, where FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the practice in response to questions from Democratic Senator Ron Wyden. Patel said the agency collects commercially available data within legal boundaries to support intelligence operations.
The revelation contradicts a 2023 statement by former FBI Director Christopher Wray, who had said such purchases were halted. Senator Wyden criticized the practice as a serious violation of the Fourth Amendment, arguing that buying personal data without a warrant endangers civil liberties, especially given the analytical power of artificial intelligence. Current U.S. law requires court approval to obtain data directly from telecom companies but not from private data brokers, prompting calls to close this legal loophole.
Republican Representative Warren Davidson also condemned the practice and introduced a bipartisan bill to prevent intelligence agencies from purchasing citizens’ personal data. Analysts say the controversy is intensifying the ongoing tension between civil rights and surveillance policy in the United States.
আমার দেশ অনলাইন প্রকাশ : ২০ মার্চ ২০২৬, ১৯: ৩৯ মার্কিন কেন্দ্রীয় গোয়েন্দা সংস্থা এফবিআই বাণিজ্যিক প্রতিষ্ঠান থেকে গোপনে সাধারণ নাগরিকদের অবস্থানসংক্রান্ত তথ্য (লোকেশন ডেটা) কিনছে বলে জানা গেছে। সম্প্রতি সিনেট ইন্টেলিজেন্স কমিটির শুনানিতে এ বিষয়ে সংস্
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