Right now, law enforcement and intelligence agencies routinely circumvent the Fourth Amendment by buying our personal data. The FTC can stop them. 

Barring a refusal to use technology, Americans face little choice but to sign away their Fourth Amendment rights when they agree to the terms and conditions. While the Supreme Court has acknowledged the right to privacy in the digital sphere, when law enforcement agencies buy their way around the Fourth Amendment, the Constitution doesn’t apply. 

In the hands of law enforcement, everyday digital business practices become weapons of surveillance. Third-party data brokers market data culled from thousands of apps to law enforcement and federal intelligence agencies, subjecting millions of Americans to intrusive surveillance without the protections afforded by search warrant requirements.

But the FTC has the power to step in. The agency is currently weighing imposing restrictions on commercial surveillance. This is our chance to tell them: don’t let cops buy our data!

We’ve provided a sample comment, but please add your voice and tell the FTC why they need to intervene to uphold the Fourth Amendment!