Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon has uncovered a network of covert dealings between the National Security Agency (NSA) and commercial data brokers, revealing a disconcerting reality. Americans’ internet browsing data, a trove of personal information, is being purchased without warrants.
In response to Wyden’s inquiry, NSA director Paul Nakasone confirmed the revelations, providing newly declassified documents disclosing the agency’s acquisition of Americans’ data, encompassing details about visited websites and utilized apps.
Wyden is now advocating for transparency and accountability, underscoring the imperative to cease the unlawful procurement of citizens’ personal data, their virtual footprints in cyberspace, as reported by Fox News Digital on Monday, January 29.
Wyden, in a missive to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, condemned the government’s involvement in what he deemed a “shady industry,” emphasizing egregious privacy violations. The senator, a staunch advocate for privacy and internet freedom, implored U.S. intelligence officials to halt the unauthorized use of Americans’ personal data, asserting that such actions not only transgress ethical boundaries but also violate the law.
“The U.S. government should not be funding and legitimizing a shady industry whose flagrant violations of Americans’ privacy are not just unethical, but illegal,” Wyden wrote to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.
The gravity of the situation intensifies as Wyden underscores the potential harm caused by indiscriminate data collection, affecting individuals seeking help on sensitive hotlines to survivors of assault or abuse, unraveling the very fabric of privacy.
While Nakasone acknowledges the NSA’s data acquisitions, Wyden points out the violation of U.S. Federal Trade Commission standards, referencing a recent order that barred data broker Outlogic from selling sensitive location data.
The acquired data, Wyden explains, extends beyond U.S. borders, reaching both foreign and domestic electronic devices. Despite NSA’s justification citing national security and cybersecurity missions, Wyden remains unsatisfied, noting the agency’s non-compliance with FTC standards.
The cloak of secrecy surrounding these transactions, Wyden argues, enables the intelligence community and data brokers to operate in a legal gray area, challenging the delicate balance between necessity and minimizing the collection of U.S. person information, as claimed by the NSA.
