Representatives Massie, Boebert Introduce Surveillance Accountability ACT to Protect Americans FROM Warrantless Government Spying

April 23, 2026 Press Release Washington, D.C.-- Today, Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO-04) and Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-04) introduced the Surveillance Accountability Act, landmark legislation that would require federal and local government agencies to obtain a warrant supported by probable cause before conducting surveillance on American citizens, in accordance with the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The legislation comes in response to the widespread use of warrantless surveillance technologies by government agencies, including facial recognition systems, automated license plate readers, and commercially purchased location data. According to the bill’s sponsors, these tools are currently being deployed without judicial oversight, building detailed databases of the movements and activities of law-abiding Americans. “For years, the federal government has treated the Fourth Amendment like a suggestion. They’ve built a massive surveillance machine that tracks, scans, and spies on law-abiding Americans without a warrant, without probable cause, and without any accountability. Enough is enough,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert. “The Surveillance Accountability Act puts the Constitution back in charge. It protects every American from an out-of-control federal government that thinks it owns your data, your movements, and your life. This is a true bipartisan issue for anyone who still believes in limited government and individual liberty.” "The Bill of Rights is not a suggestion, and Fourth Amendment protections against warrantless searches conducted by the government are not optional," said Rep. Thomas Massie. "The Surveillance Accountability Act requires government employees to first obtain a warrant based on probable cause before searching Americans' personal information even if the information sought is stored on a phone, in the cloud, or held by a third party. Warrantless searches are unconstitutional, and this does not change when the data the government seeks is in digital formats or held by a third party." The Surveillance Accountability Act would: Require all government-initiated searches and surveillance activities to be supported by a judicially issued warrant based on probable cause. Prohibit warrantless facial recognition scanning by federal and local law enforcement agencies in public spaces, including at schools and places of worship. Restrict the use of automated license plate readers (such as Flock cameras) to create persistent location databases of citizens without a court order. Ban federal agencies from purchasing commercially available location or movement data to circumvent warrant requirements. Prohibit federal pressure on local law enforcement agencies to share warrantlessly collected surveillance data. Sponsors of the legislation cited documented instances of government agencies utilizing surveillance technology against political figures, journalists, and ordinary citizens without obtaining proper judicial authorization, arguing that current oversight mechanisms are insufficient to protect constitutional rights. Full text of the Surveillance Accountability Act can be accessed HERE. Issues : Oversight and Accountability Constitutional Issues