FBI: Data brokers probably act illegally - Yahoo! News

....and is anything going to be done about it?

Why of course not. What on earth would make anyone think that accountability matters.

FBI: Data brokers probably act illegally - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON - Despite the use of private data brokers by federal and local law enforcement agencies, the FBI said Thursday that practices by such companies to gather Americans' private telephone records without warrants or subpoenas are almost certainly illegal.

A senior FBI lawyer, Elaine N. Lammert, told lawmakers the bureau was still surveying agents around the U.S. but so far has found no 'systemic' use of data brokers by the FBI seeking telephone records or other information without warrants or subpoenas.

Lammert, the bureau's deputy general counsel for its investigative law branch, told a congressional panel: 'There are compelling reasons for the government to believe that these operations violate federal law.'

Lawmakers agreed. Police use of such data brokers 'might compromise sensitive law enforcement information, compromise operational security or maybe just violate the Constitution,' said Rep. Joe Barton (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee." (Read On ^)