EPIC Statement on Adoption of Davidson-Jacobs NDAA Amendment Closing Data Broker Loophole at DOD

EPIC issued the following statement following the adoption of the Davidson-Jacobs amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

“EPIC applauds Representatives Davidson, Jacobs, Mace, Jayapal, Biggs, Lofgren, Tenney, and Hoyle for their work on the Davidson-Jacobs amendment to the NDAA. As recently released reports confirm, the government continues to evade constitutional protections by purchasing Americans’ data. This bipartisan amendment—endorsed by EPIC and over forty other organizations—prohibits the Department of Defense from purchasing data protected by the Fourth Amendment, such as location information and internet records. While more work is needed to ensure that all government agencies can’t evade the Fourth Amendment by purchasing data from data brokers, the Davidson-Jacobs amendment is a clear sign that there is bipartisan appetite for strong reform of the warrantless government surveillance ecosystem.” – Caitriona Fitzgerald, EPIC Deputy Director