Federal government banned from mass surveillance—but loopholes remain
H.R. 9800 — Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act · Filed by Tim Burchett (R-TN) · 8 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 21, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill prohibits federal agencies from buying, using, or accessing automated surveillance systems that identify or track people—including facial recognition, license plate readers, biometric scanners, and mass-image capture tools. It also bars states and localities from using federal money for these systems. Any data collected in violation is deleted within 30 days and cannot be used in court.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward prohibition on federal surveillance technology procurement and deployment, coupled with data-deletion and evidentiary-exclusion remedies. It is a direct restraint on government power, not a market intervention or appropriation.
What the text implies
- Existing federal surveillance data collected before this bill's enactment is not addressed; the 30-day deletion window applies only to post-enactment violations, leaving historical databases potentially intact.
- The bill does not address private-sector surveillance systems or data-sharing arrangements between federal agencies and private companies (e.g., purchasing access to commercial facial-recognition databases), which may create a loophole.
- State and local governments are barred only from using federal funds for these systems; they may still deploy them with state/local money, creating a two-tier surveillance landscape.
- The bill does not establish an enforcement mechanism, penalty structure, or inspector-general oversight for violations, relying on the deletion requirement and evidentiary bar as the sole remedies.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens gain a direct privacy protection: the federal government is barred from deploying mass surveillance tools against them and cannot use any data collected in violation. This removes a significant asymmetry of power between the state and individuals.
Named in the bill
Federal agencies (all), State and local governments, Tribal governments, Flock Safety (named example of license plate recognition system), Courts and administrative proceedings
Where it stands
8 cosponsors: 8 Republicans.
- Jul 21, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 21, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,457 characters) on Sep 25, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,985 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-25.
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