The Biden Administration has sought to curb foreign countries from accessing Americans' personal data in a recent executive order. However, this does not stop domestic government entities from doing the same thing, which was condemned in a recent joint statement by Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Warren Davidson (R-OH), saying, "The U.S. government is circumventing the 4th Amendment and our right to privacy by purchasing these same types of data."
Breitbart first reported the story and received Rep. Biggs' and Rep. Davidson's statement, where they further noted, "The Biden Administration cannot pretend to support Americans’ privacy rights while undermining them in the U.S. by opposing closing the data broker loophole domestically."
As a result, Rep. Biggs and Rep. Davidson pushed for the bipartisan Fourth Amendment Not for Sale Act introduced by the Ohio Congressman last July. The bill would prohibit the Federal government from buying Americans' personal data from tech companies without a warrant, which Biggs condemned as subverting the Fourth Amendment and has received bipartisan support, passing the Judiciary Committee.
Biggs posted the story on X (formerly Twitter), where he stated, "Biden has issued an EO to protect Americans’ sensitive data from data brokers in “countries of concern.” Why isn't he concerned about data brokers here at home? @WarrenDavidson and I are calling on the Biden Administration to protect our 4th Amendment."
Biden has issued an EO to protect Americans’ sensitive data from data brokers in “countries of concern.”
Why isn't he concerned about data brokers here at home?@WarrenDavidson and I are calling on the Biden Administration to protect our 4th Amendment. https://t.co/fcVNVK4dxg
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) February 29, 2024
Other Republicans have expressed serious concerns about government surveillance of Americans, such as Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who in July grilled FBI Director Christopher Wray about reports of employees abusing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and later spoke against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2024 because it reauthorized FISA in December.
Similarly, Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) introduced a bill seeking to reform FISA, such as tightening application standards, increasing the penalty for violation, and "add significant reporting and transparency requirements so that Congress can properly conduct oversight of the intelligence community."
