FBI won't rule out buying location data
FBI Director Kash Patel declined to commit to stopping the agency’s purchase of Americans’ location data from brokers and banks—fueling privacy and surveillance concerns that are already roiling location‑tech conversations. The public exchange with Sen. Wyden has amplified compliance and ethics angles for data platforms. (x.com/theragetech/status/2034342590628114648)
At the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s “worldwide threats” hearing on March 18, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the bureau is buying information that can be used to track people’s movements. (politico.com) Patel told senators the FBI “purchases commercially available information that’s consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act” and said the bureau “uses all tools…to do our mission.” (techcrunch.com) News outlets flagged that Patel’s remarks are the first public confirmation since then‑Director Christopher Wray said in 2023 the FBI had bought such data in the past but was not actively purchasing it at that time. (politico.com) Reporting on the hearing says the commercially sold datasets typically stem from phone apps, advertising networks and data brokers, and can be accessed without a warrant in ways that differ from carrier‑level cell‑site records. (techcrunch.com) Sen. Ron Wyden pressed Patel on whether he would pledge to stop buying Americans’ location data during the exchange, and Wyden has led congressional oversight actions this month including a March 3, 2026 letter from 70 Democrats calling for a DHS OIG probe into ICE and DHS purchases. (gizmodo.com) The hearing also put other agencies under scrutiny—reporters noted the Defense Intelligence Agency and DHS entities were questioned about similar purchases as lawmakers renew calls for tighter rules and transparency around government use of commercial location databases. (biometricupdate.com)
