Your data is everywhere. The government is buying it without a warrant

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1:08From NPR News, I'm Stephen's Keep in Washington, DC. All that time spent online and on the phone produces huge quantities of data, and industry of data brokers sells that information for targeted advertising. And here's the heart of our story. Police and government agencies also buy that data without getting a warrant. Privacy advocates call the practice unconstitutional and their hoping Congress will fix it. NPR's Jude Jaffee Block is covering that story good morning. Hi, good morning. What kinds of data are federal agencies buying? Well, yeah, there's a wide range of commercial data that various government agencies buy, but perhaps one of the most sensitive examples is bulk location data that can come from cell phone apps. You know, this kind of location data isn't typically linked to a person's name, but government agencies can buy tools that make the data more usable so they can track what devices go certain places where certain devices go every night. And this information can often be combined with other data to identify someone. And there's members of Congress from both parties

2:14who are really worried about government agencies purchasing data. They would otherwise need a warrant to obtain. And one of them is Republican Congressman Warren Davidson from Ohio. Governments are buying their way around the Fourth Amendment. And we need to close that off. We need to keep pace with the technology of the day. And you know, the Fourth Amendment, of course, is the one about unreasonable searches and seizures without having probable cause. And Davidson says with advances in artificial intelligence, this issue is even more urgent. And why would that be? Well, there's a worry that AI could combine massive commercial data sets and then create detailed dossiers on Americans that our government could access without a warrant. I talked with Jake LaPirouk at the Center for Democracy and Technology about this. What kind of new Pandora's box do we open when we don't really have these huge quantities of data, but we have tools that can start to scan and analyze patterns in unprecedented ways and add an unprecedented skill that you can never do from human analysts. And the recent rupture between the AI company Anthropic and the Department

3:17of Defense really put a spotlight on this issue. Anthropic CEO Dario Amide warned publicly that commercial data the government can currently purchase can be turned into a domestic mass surveillance tool with the use of AI. I should note this debate is also hitting at a moment when people are noticing surveillance efforts coming from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE that are targeting not only immigrants, but also protesters. Jude Congress has talked about AI a lot in recent years without passing much on that topic. So is there anything that would force them to act now? Well, specifically, there's a push to try to close this, what they're calling the data broker loophole. And it's tied to a deadline that's coming up on April 20th. And that's when the foreign intelligence surveillance act section 702 is set to expire. And that law is used for intelligence and counterterrorism efforts. And there are members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, including Congressman Davidson, who we heard from, who want to close this data broker loophole and make

4:19other reforms as part of that reauthorization. Where does the president stand on this? Just yesterday, President Trump posted, he wants the surveillance law reauthorized without any changes. It appears he has the support of GOP leaders in the House and Senate on that. Though amid some opposition from Republicans who want reforms, the reauthorization vote was pushed back already. A really interesting thing about this debate is that the issue doesn't break on normal party lines. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes from Connecticut, put out a statement yesterday saying the most important thing for national security is to first do a short-term extension of the surveillance law to ensure it doesn't lapse and then debate reforms. But privacy advocates say, you know, if Congress is going to close this data broker loophole, this is likely the best window to do it. Really interesting, NPR's Jude Jaffee Block. Thanks so much. Thank you. Before we wrap up a reminder, you can find more coverage of the Trump administration

5:20on the NPR politics podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks as always to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detro, thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR. This message comes from NPR sponsor Charles Schwab with its original podcast on investing. Each week you'll get thoughtful, in-depth analysis of both the stock and the bond markets. Listen today and subscribe at Schwab.com slash on investing or wherever you get your podcasts. This message comes from Prolon, feeling heavy and depleted. Prolon's five-day fasting mimicking diet aims to make it easy to reset your body, habits, and energy. Developed at USC's Longevity Institute,

6:24the goal of Prolon's nutrition program is to rejuvenate you from within by working at the cellular level to support fat loss, glowing skin, and sharper focus. Get 15% off plus a bonus gift when you subscribe at prolonlife.com slash NPR.