Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released documents confirming the National Security Agency buys Americans’ internet records, which can reveal which websites they visit and what apps they use. In response to the revelation, today Wyden called on the administration to ensure intelligence agencies stop buying personal data from Americans that has been obtained illegally by data brokers. A recent FTC order held that data brokers must obtain Americans’ informed consent before selling their data.

“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 in a letter to Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines today. “To that end, I request that you adopt a policy that, going forward, IC elements may only purchase data about Americans that meets the standard for legal data sales established by the FTC.”

Wyden fought for nearly three years to publicly release the fact that the NSA is purchasing Americans’ internet records. He succeeded in obtaining public confirmation of that fact after placing a hold on the nomination of Lt. General Timothy Haugh to serve as NSA director. Web browsing records can reveal sensitive, private information about a person based on where they go on the internet, including visiting websites related to mental health resources, resources for survivors of sexual assault or domestic abuse, or visiting a telehealth provider who focuses on birth control or abortion medication.

Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has revealed how multiple federal government agencies have bought and searched Americans’ private records — including location data, internet records and more — without a warrant — in effect using their credit card to circumvent the Fourth Amendment. In 2021, for example, Wyden revealed the Defense Intelligence Agency was buying and using location data collected from Americans’ phones.