S.Amdt. 4414

The Cell-Site Simulator Warrant Act of 2026 is an amendment designed to regulate and restrict the use of cell-site simulators. Its primary purpose is to make the use of these devices unlawful unless specific legal exceptions are met, primarily requiring a warrant for their operation.

What it aims to change or add:

• General Prohibition: It establishes that it is unlawful for any individual or entity to knowingly use a cell-site simulator in the United States, and unlawful for the intelligence community to use one outside the U.S. if the subject is a United States person.

• Warrant Requirements: It adds a requirement for law enforcement to obtain a warrant from a court of competent jurisdiction. To get this warrant, agencies must show that other investigative methods failed or were too dangerous, and they must certify that the operation time and area are as narrow as possible.

• Emergency Exceptions: It allows for use without a warrant in emergencies involving immediate danger of death, serious physical injury, organized crime activities, or national security threats, provided a warrant application is filed within 48 hours (with some exceptions for missing persons or mass casualty events).

• Accountability and Penalties:

  • It sets a fine of up to $250,000 for violations.
  • It prohibits the use of illegally obtained information as evidence in court.
  • It allows individuals subject to unlawful use of these devices to bring civil actions for relief and damages.
  • It requires the Attorney General to adopt and publish "minimization" procedures to protect people who are not the intended targets.

• Reporting and Oversight: It mandates annual joint reports to Congress from various Inspectors General regarding compliance, the number of warrants granted, and the number of devices targeted.

• Specific Use Cases: It provides specific rules and exceptions for research, protective services, contraband interdiction in correctional facilities, and testing/training by law enforcement or the FCC.