EFF Warns: Online Tracking Enables Warrantless Government Surveillance at Scale

Background: How Data Brokers Feed Law Enforcement

Under current U.S. privacy laws, data brokers are largely unregulated. They collect personal data from websites, apps, and physical location trackers, then sell access to any paying customer—including government agencies.

EFF’s investigation shows agencies routinely purchase sensitive information like real-time location, social connections, and search histories. This is a multi-billion-dollar industry that operates in the shadows, explained EFF researcher Jamie Williams. No warrant, no probable cause, no judge—just a credit card transaction.

What This Means for Privacy and Civil Liberties

This practice undermines the Fourth Amendment, which requires a warrant for government searches. Without reform, any individual’s private data could be accessed without their knowledge or consent.

Privacy is not just about avoiding targeted ads—it’s about the fundamental security and freedom to live without fear of surveillance, said Galperin. When tools we rely on are corrupted by corporate tracking, they also become tools of government control and intimidation.

EFF is fighting back through multiple fronts: legislative advocacy for stronger privacy laws, litigation in the courts, public investigations, and direct tools like Privacy Badger that block trackers at the source.

Urgent Action: Join the Fight

The organization is calling for immediate public support. We need people to understand that every tracker blocked, every law strengthened, every court victory—it all chips away at this unjust system, Williams stated.

For a limited time, new monthly or one-time donors can receive exclusive merchandise, including a Privacy Badger Crewneck sweatshirt featuring the mascot above the Traditional Chinese word for privacy (隐私), symbolizing universal human rights.

Also available: a set of puffy Ghostie stickers with the word 'privacy' in Arabic, English, Japanese, Persian, Russian, and Spanish. And the new 'Claw Back!' t-shirt shows an orange cat swatting at street-level surveillance cameras—a reminder that activism can be both creative and effective.

Let’s end the law enforcement contracts, harmful practices, and twisted logic that enable mass spying, urged Galperin. Become an EFF member today.