Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with attorneys general from 16 other states, called on Congress on Mar. 24 to take immediate action against federal agencies’ use of commercially purchased data and artificial intelligence tools that allow for mass surveillance of Americans without proper oversight.
The coalition’s letter urges lawmakers to close what they describe as a data-broker loophole that enables government access to personal information without warrants or consent. The group is seeking reforms including requiring judicial warrants for digital data access, preventing domestic surveillance through foreign intelligence laws, mandating deletion of unlawfully collected information and related AI models, and setting nationwide standards for transparency and accountability among data brokers.
“Accessing personal information in this manner without consent or a warrant constitutes alarming overreach by the federal government,” Raoul said. “I will continue to advocate for guardrails and accountability to protect our privacy and our residents, in Illinois and across the entire nation, from invasive Big Brother surveillance.”
According to the letter sent by Raoul and his colleagues to Senate and House committee leaders, current statutory protections such as the Privacy Act of 1974 are outdated. The letter highlights how federal agencies have bought billions of airline ticketing records and mobile location data from commercial brokers—data that would otherwise require legal procedures like a warrant—demonstrating patterns of warrantless surveillance. These practices have drawn bipartisan concern after media reports revealed how easily individuals’ travel routines can be tracked.
Federal agencies have repeatedly failed to comply with existing privacy requirements according to recent inspector general reports cited in the letter. The attorneys general argue that new technologies allow rapid re-identification of anonymized datasets into detailed profiles without individuals’ knowledge or consent.
Raoul’s call aligns with broader efforts by his office which has advocated for vulnerable groups including workers, immigrants, seniors according to the official website. The Illinois Attorney General handles thousands of consumer complaints each year according to the official website, works toward protecting consumers while promoting safer communities as well as environmental rights issues according to the official website, extends advocacy efforts statewide according to the official website, partners with law enforcement on crime victim support according to the official website, and offers services such as complaint filing related to consumer fraud or civil rights matters according to the official website.
Joining Raoul are attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
