Bars law enforcement and intelligence agencies from buying personal data from data brokers

§1What it does

Why this matters: A plain-English description of the bill as it was voted on, written by us from the official summary and text.

✎ Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

The bill would bar law enforcement and intelligence agencies from buying, or otherwise obtaining in exchange for something of value, records about people's phone and internet accounts, communications or location from third parties such as data brokers.^2,3,4 Other agencies could not hand such purchased records to them, records obtained in violation could not be used as evidence in court or other proceedings, and the government would generally need a court order to make a third party disclose them.^3,4 It would also extend existing federal limits on disclosing customers' communications and records to intermediary companies that handle communications for phone and internet providers, while leaving public social media posts, public records, consented background checks and license plate reader data outside the new limits.^3,4 For foreign intelligence collection inside the United States or from people or organizations located there, it would make specified procedures of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, including Section 702, the only legal way to obtain the location data, web browsing history and internet search history of Americans or people in the United States.⁴

§2Status

§3How Congress voted

Why this matters: The official count.