Post #1584146

2026-04-23 15:44 UTC

It’s absurd that American authorities can purchase personal data – that they’re not allowed to gather themselves without a warrant – directly from data brokers. This violates the Fourth Amendment, and it’s time to close the data broker loophole. Today, the Surveillance Accountability Act was introduced. It requires warrants based on probable cause for all government surveillance and data access. You can read more about it here: https://www.surveillanceaccountability.com/

Replies (10)

@chantaryu2@pataterie.ca 2026-04-23 15:56

@mullvadnet the most infuriating part is that if you try to opt out your data from the broker, they ask you to give them private data to prove you are who you are. As if anyone would suffer a prejudice from being opted out against their will.

Open ##1996633
@michael@m.mtlynch.io 2026-04-23 16:28

@mullvadnet I like this, but this seems like the legislative equivalent of vaporware. Do they even have a bill draft? Why is the only call to action to just give money rather than contacting our representatives to support the bill?

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@atlovato@mastodon.social 2026-04-23 16:31

@mullvadnet - Right On 100%. Start arresting Data Brokers.

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@tokensane@mastodon.me.uk 2026-04-23 16:48

@mullvadnet It's even more absurd that if this bill passes, the US government will be the only organisation in the world prohibited from buying this data. Big business, organised crime, hostile governments; just set up a front company and have at it!

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@GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai 2026-04-23 17:06

@mullvadnet Can I be a bit more blunt? Data brokering needs to go.

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@numodular@c.im 2026-04-23 17:09

@mullvadnet Probable cause left to a disintegrating judicial system?.. May as well move you and yours to #EmergingEconomies in #DevelopingCountries, before wasting good money, going after collapsing Capitalism. #DemocraticSocialist #Revolution

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@tkissing@mastodon.social 2026-04-23 17:56

@mullvadnet I can already see the Supreme Court case in which data brokers claim to be a protected class who's 1A rights are violated if they can't sell to the government unrestricted. There will be an Amicus from the DOJ, the FBI and a bunch of sheriffs or whatever. One "liberal" judge will write a stern letter how this is the end of the Republic, the others will abstain and the Republican majority will side with the corporations and the fascists as usual. edit: typo

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@Coho@climatejustice.social 2026-04-23 18:43

@mullvadnet How about making it illegal for data brokers to collect our data in the first place. Pull the problem out by the roots

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@vervain@sunny.garden 2026-04-23 19:15

@mullvadnet https://boebert.house.gov/media/press-releases/representatives-massie-boebert-introduce-surveillance-accountability-act

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@Rixer@veganism.social 2026-04-23 21:25

@mullvadnet keyword is introduced. There have been 100+ introductions of “progressive agendas”, that get nowhere or are put in the back of the line, spanning for months if not years, to eventually not get addressed at all or dismissed.

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