Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is calling on Congress to take action against what he and a coalition of state attorneys general describe as a growing and largely unchecked system of federal mass surveillance. In a joint letter signed by attorneys general from seventeen states, the group is urging lawmakers to close what they call a “data broker loophole” that allows federal agencies to purchase detailed information about Americans without going through traditional legal safeguards.

At the center of the concern is a rapidly expanding data economy built by private companies that collect, analyze, and sell vast amounts of personal information. This includes data about where people travel, what they buy, what they search for online, and even who they interact with. According to Tong and the coalition, federal agencies are increasingly turning to these commercial data brokers as a workaround, allowing them to access sensitive information without obtaining a warrant or complying with constitutional protections that would normally apply.

Tong described the situation as a collision between modern technology and outdated legal frameworks. He pointed to the way large technology companies have developed systems capable of tracking and compiling highly detailed profiles of individuals, and warned that government agencies are now tapping into those systems in ways that were never envisioned when existing privacy laws were written. The concern is not just about the volume of data being collected, but about how easily it can be used to reconstruct a person’s life, movements, and associations.

The coalition’s letter outlines several examples that illustrate the scope of the issue. Federal agencies have reportedly purchased massive datasets that include airline travel records and mobile phone location data, enabling them to track patterns of movement across the country. These types of datasets, when combined with modern analytical tools and artificial intelligence, can reveal far more than isolated pieces of information. Even data that is nominally anonymized can often be re-identified, allowing agencies to connect records back to specific individuals.

This ability to reassemble identities from supposedly anonymous data is a key concern raised by the attorneys general. They argue that existing laws, including long-standing federal privacy statutes, were not designed for a world in which artificial intelligence can rapidly analyze and cross-reference enormous datasets. As a result, protections that might have once been sufficient are now easily bypassed, leaving a gap between what the law intends and what technology allows.

Another issue highlighted in the letter is the lack of oversight and transparency. Because the data is purchased from private companies rather than obtained through traditional investigative methods, there may be fewer reporting requirements and less public visibility into how it is being used. This raises questions about accountability, especially when agencies rely on information that individuals never knowingly agreed to share with the government.

The coalition is asking Congress to respond with a series of reforms aimed at closing these gaps. Among the proposals is a ban on federal agencies purchasing data that would otherwise require a warrant if obtained directly. They are also calling for clear requirements that law enforcement and other federal entities obtain judicial approval before accessing sensitive information such as browsing history, search activity, and location data. Another major concern is the potential use of foreign intelligence authorities to conduct domestic surveillance indirectly, something the attorneys general want explicitly prohibited.

In addition to limiting access, the group is pushing for stronger consequences when rules are violated. This includes requiring the deletion of improperly obtained data, as well as any artificial intelligence systems or analytical models that were trained using that data. The idea is to prevent agencies from benefiting from information that should not have been collected in the first place.

The letter also emphasizes the need for broader transparency and accountability standards for the data broker industry itself. These companies operate at the center of the system, gathering and selling information that can ultimately end up in government hands. Without consistent rules governing how data is collected, stored, and sold, the attorneys general argue that the risks to privacy will continue to grow.

This push comes at a time when concerns about surveillance are increasingly bipartisan. Reports about the government’s ability to track individuals through purchased datasets have drawn attention from both lawmakers and the public, raising questions about how far existing practices have already gone. Tong and the coalition are positioning their request as a necessary update to legal protections in an era where technology has outpaced regulation.

Ultimately, the argument being made is that constitutional safeguards should not depend on how the government acquires information. Whether data is collected directly or purchased from a third party, the same principles should apply. As technology continues to evolve, the coalition is urging Congress to ensure that privacy protections evolve with it, rather than allowing loopholes to redefine the boundaries of surveillance.

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