Surveillance Accountability Act

Stronger limits on federal surveillance

If enacted, the bill would require a warrant from a neutral judge for most federal searches of people, places, or data. It would treat data held by banks, phone and internet companies, cloud providers, and data brokers as private and bar government access without a warrant. The bill would define "search" broadly to include many digital records, geolocation, biometrics, financial transactions, and device activity, and it would narrow the plain-view rule so fewer observations avoid a warrant. It would bar warrantless collection or analysis of biometric identifiers and automated license-plate reader data without a person's informed consent. The bill would also create a private right to sue for Fourth Amendment violations and allow courts to award reasonable attorney's fees to winning plaintiffs, while barring federal employees from suing their employer for acts within the scope of employment.