PRIVACY Act

Protection against warrantless surveillance: Federal law enforcement agencies would be prohibited from accessing covered surveillance data without a warrant issued by a Federal judge, which protects individuals from unauthorized access (Section 2(b)).

Limits on data retention: The bill prevents the government from holding onto surveillance data for more than 30 days, unless a court grants an extension or it is part of an ongoing prosecution, which limits the time people's data is stored (Section 2(c)(1)).

Ensuring evidence integrity: If data is obtained or kept longer than the law allows, it cannot be used as evidence in Federal court, which provides a check against improper law enforcement actions (Section 2(c)(2)(A)).

Protection of First Amendment rights: The law prohibits Federal agencies from using surveillance data to monitor or track people based solely on their exercise of First Amendment rights (Section 6), and requires regulations to prevent using data to identify people engaged in protected activities (Section 5(1)(C)).

Accountability and transparency: The Attorney General must submit semiannual reports to Congress regarding how often this data is accessed and any violations that occurred, and a summary must be made public (Section 4).

Right to legal recourse: Individuals can bring civil actions against the government or specific officers if their surveillance data is obtained in violation of this Act, allowing them to seek damages and attorney fees (Section 8(a)).

Restrictions on data use during emergencies: While there is an exception for imminent danger of death or serious injury, Federal agencies are limited to collecting only the minimum amount of data necessary, which could impact urgent investigations (Section 2(e)(1)).

Limitations on Federal funding: The bill prohibits the use of Federal funds to purchase or install surveillance technologies on the Jurisdictional Wall List, which could affect the acquisition of tools like automated license plate readers (Section 3(a)).