PPSA Applauds House Judiciary Committee for Unanimous Vote to Advance the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act

​Earlier today the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act out of committee by a 30-0 unanimous vote, with one abstention. PPSA applauds Chairman Jordan, Ranking Member Nadler, and the Members of the Committee for taking this important step to protect Americans’ privacy. 
 
“Stopping the government from spying on Americans by buying their sensitive personal information from data brokers is a critical part of the government surveillance reforms Congress is working towards this year,” said Bob Goodlatte, PPSA Senior Policy Advisor and former Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “As Congress considers the reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, it should hold strong to the principle that no surveillance authorities should be reauthorized without closing the data broker loophole. The Committee’s overwhelming, bipartisan, unanimous approval of the Fourth Amendment is Not For Sale Act sends a strong signal in that regard.” 
 
Our digital devices can tell everything about us – who we visit, what we like and believe, who we befriend, where we go, our medical concerns, and other personal information.
 
The government is required by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to obtain a warrant before it can seize our personal information. But the government has found a workaround to the Constitution – law enforcement, intelligence, and other federal agencies spy on us by simply buying our personal information from shady data brokers. The Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act will close this loophole and prevent the government from sidestepping our constitutional rights.