Representatives Thomas Massie and Lauren Boebert introduced the Surveillance Accountability Act (SAA) on April 23, a bill that would require government-initiated searches to be conducted with a warrant based on probable cause as outlined by the Fourth Amendment. The legislation also allows individuals whose Fourth Amendment rights are violated by government employees to sue for damages.
The proposed act is significant because it aims to address privacy concerns in the digital age, closing what its sponsors call loopholes in current surveillance law. The bill mandates that government employees obtain a warrant before searching Americans’ personal information, regardless of whether that data is stored on phones, cloud services, or held by third parties.
“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.” Rep. Lauren Boebert added: “Our bill forces the government to obey the Fourth Amendment in the digital age. No more warrantless searches of your phone, cloud data, bank records, or internet history. No more hiding behind the ‘third-party doctrine.’ No more creepy warrantless facial recognition or tracking. If feds violate your rights? You can sue them for damages. The Bill of Rights isn’t a suggestion—it’s the law. Time to make Big Brother get a warrant.”
The SAA establishes universal requirements for warrants whenever there is significant intrusion into an individual’s privacy or security and closes what lawmakers describe as “the third-party doctrine” loophole by requiring warrants for access to data held by service providers such as banks and internet companies. It defines “search” broadly for modern contexts including metadata collection and geolocation tracking while prohibiting facial recognition use without warrants except under traditional exceptions like consent or exigent circumstances.
Massie has represented Kentucky’s 4th district since 2012 after replacing Geoff Davis according to official congressional records. He previously served in state-level roles including as Lewis County Judge Executive according to his House biography. Born in Huntington, West Virginia in 1971 and currently residing in Garrison as reported locally, Massie graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1993 according to MIT alumni records.
If enacted into law, supporters say this legislation could reshape how federal agencies conduct investigations involving electronic data while providing new legal recourse for citizens who believe their constitutional rights have been violated.
