US Intelligence Agencies Purchasing Personal Data of Americans with Little Oversight, Report Reveals

A government report has revealed that US intelligence agencies are buying and storing personal information on Americans with little oversight and few guidelines. The report warns that commercially available information (CAI) can reveal sensitive and intimate information about individuals and poses a threat to Americans. While government agencies have to navigate an array of laws that often prevent them from tracking Americans without a court order or warrant, there are few legal restrictions on private companies that buy, repackage and sell personal data. The report calls for legislation to put guardrails around government purchases, to rein in private companies that collect and sell this data, and keep Americans’ personal information out of the hands of adversaries.