Mr. Chair, the amendment I have offered would prevent the Department of Defense from purchasing data that would otherwise require a warrant, court order, or subpoena. The amendment would also end unauthorized surveillance practices. The government is currently circumventing the Fourth Amendment by purchasing location data, internet browsing data, and other sensitive information. The so-called data broker loophole is a severe threat to the right to privacy in the United States. Freedom surrendered is rarely reclaimed, but we must defend our Fourth Amendment. Government surveillance programs are routinely misused and targeted at Americans. The FBI, in fact, admits it conducted 278,000 improper searches of American citizens in 2020 alone. If the government can buy its way around the Fourth Amendment, there will be few meaningful limits on government surveillance. We need to pass this amendment. It at least stops the Department of Defense from doing that inside the United States of America. Mr. Chair, I reserve balance of my time.
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