FBI Director confirms warrantless purchase of Americans' location data

At the committee's Worldwide Threats hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden asked whether the FBI would stop buying Americans' location data. Patel answered: "We do purchase commercially available information that is consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act — and it has led to some valuable intelligence for us." TechCrunch reported this is the first time since 2023 the FBI has confirmed buying data from brokers; that year, then-Director Christopher Wray told senators the FBI had bought location data in the past but was not actively buying it. Asked the same question, Defense Intelligence Agency Director James Adams did not say whether DIA still buys location data; he said its purchases of commercially available information go through legal channels and follow the law.

How we know: TechCrunch's and Biometric Update's accounts of the hearing read directly (Oct 3, 2026); the committee's hearing page lists the witnesses. Corrected Oct 3, 2026: an earlier version said the DIA "confirmed the same"; its director did not say whether DIA still buys location data.