FBI started buying Americans' location data again, Kash Patel confirms

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the bureau has resumed buying Americans' geolocation data from commercial brokers without a warrant, reversing a 2022 policy intended to close this privacy loophole. The move reignites constitutional debates over the Fourth Amendment in the digital age. This policy shift outpaces the more restrictive approach of the EU's GDPR, which prohibits such bulk purchases and has fined brokers an average of $1.2 million per violation since 2023.