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119-hr-2787119th CongressWALLET

Warrant for Metadata Act

Sponsored By: Representative Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]

Introduced

Summary

Requires a warrant to access electronic communications metadata. This bill would make the government get a court-issued warrant before obtaining non-content records and metadata from electronic communication and remote computing providers, and it would remove the old 180-day content trigger while reorganizing related statutory language.

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  • Families and individuals: Would strengthen privacy by making subscriber and other non-content metadata available only with a warrant, limiting routine government access.
  • Law enforcement: Would change the legal standard for obtaining metadata by requiring warrants under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure or comparable state or military warrant procedures, instead of the prior statutory procedures.
  • Service providers and records requests: Clarifies that any disclosures required before enactment stay under the old rules, but any later expansion or follow-up disclosure is treated as a new request under the warrant requirement.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Warrant needed for your online metadata

This bill would require a warrant before the government could get your metadata from phone or online accounts. Metadata are records about who you contacted, when, and how, not the message text. It would remove the 180-day rule that let older stored content be obtained without a warrant. Warrants would have to follow normal federal, state, or military procedures. It would take effect upon enactment. Disclosures required before enactment would stay valid, but any new or expanded request after enactment would need a warrant.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]

CA • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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