FBI Director Defends Surveillance Partnerships at Senate Judiciary Hearing

By edisonreed // 2026-09-19

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FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 15, 2026, defending the bureau's access to license plate reader data and its expanding partnerships with private technology companies. The hearing, which lasted several hours, examined the FBI's use of data collected by private companies and municipalities, queries conducted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the bureau's relationships with social media and artificial intelligence firms [1]. Patel told committee members that the FBI does not collect license plate reader data itself but accesses information gathered by private companies and municipalities on a case-by-case basis. "They collect information, not the FBI," Patel said. "Private companies have and private municipalities and towns put up cameras around traffic circles in the neighborhoods and the like" [1]. He described the information as data in which there is "no reasonable expectation of privacy" and said the bureau does not maintain rolling access to such systems [1]. The hearing also covered the status of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expired June 12 but remains in use under an existing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court order that runs through spring 2027. Senators questioned Patel about the bureau's use of private-sector surveillance technologies, including Flock cameras, and proposed legislation to cut federal funding for such systems [1].

Section 702 Query Rules Draw Questions

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) raised concerns about FBI queries of data collected under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Lee said the current system, based on the government's internal procedures, is not sufficient to protect Americans' privacy and cited past abuses as evidence. He said a query should have "nothing to do with an agent wanting to vet a potential tenant for his rental property, vet a romantic interest, investigate his father...for a suspected extramarital affair," adding that "these are real-world examples" [1]. Patel responded that the FBI is "flying blind" and cannot establish probable cause for a warrant because it does not know what information it is looking for. "We don't have access to that information. We don't know what we don't know. And we wouldn't be able to establish a predicate probable cause because we don't have access to the information," Patel said [1]. He also stated that "what the FBI does not do is collect on U.S. citizens" and that the bureau accesses already lawfully collected information pursuant to federal statute [1]. The FBI director said the bureau is responsible for 3 percent of Section 702 collection, with the remainder belonging to the broader intelligence community. He credited the program with helping to prevent terrorist attacks, locate missing children, and arrest narcotics traffickers. "Were that to go dark, we would have a lot of problems or we would have no ability to trace that information," Patel said [1]. Sen. John Cornyn asked whether it is true that Section 702 makes up 60 percent of the President's Daily Brief, and Patel confirmed this [1]. The hearing follows years of debate over Section 702, which permits warrantless surveillance of foreign targets abroad but often sweeps up communications involving Americans. A federal court ruled in January 2025 that warrantless "backdoor searches" under Section 702 are unconstitutional, marking a significant development in the ongoing legal battle over the program's scope [2][3].

License Plate Reader Access Described as Case-by-Case

Patel told the committee that Flock cameras and similar license plate reader systems are operated by private companies and municipalities, not by the FBI. He said the bureau partners with those who collect the data "on a case-by-case basis and not a rolling access basis." He repeated, "We have to use it lawfully, but we the FBI don't continue to access that on a rolling basis" [1]. As examples of how the system has been used, Patel cited the Brown University shooting, where he said investigators "weren't able to get any facial recognition on the individual, but what we were able to get based on a Flock camera was a license plate." The information helped locate a suspect who "died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire" [1]. He also mentioned kidnappings across state lines, stating that "we have saved children over and over again" through the use of such data [1]. The use of Flock cameras has expanded significantly across the United States, with more than 80,000 AI-powered cameras reportedly surveilling communities from Los Angeles to New York. The company behind the systems claims the technology fights and prevents crime, though critics argue it builds the foundation for a surveillance state [4].

Private-Sector and AI Partnerships Expand

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) asked Patel about the FBI's use of private-sector partnerships, specifically to catch predators. Patel said the FBI must work with the private sector. He said the bureau is "utilizing the fact that this great information has been collected and sitting on the shelf," referring to data harvested by private companies [1]. Patel stated that the FBI is now "professionally partnered and officially partnered" with more private-sector companies in social media and AI than ever before. He cited a 600 percent increase in AI investment, and then a 605 percent increase "since I hit the seat." He credited these partnerships with "the largest reduction in violent crime in American history" [1]. The expansion of private-sector partnerships reflects a broader trend across federal agencies. The CIA announced its own overhaul of technology acquisition strategy in February 2026, unveiling a framework designed to streamline partnerships with private companies and accelerate the deployment of advanced tools for intelligence missions [5].

Flock System Accuracy and Flock-Off Act

Reporting by Reclaim The Net has documented inaccuracies in Flock camera data, including a July incident in Plymouth, Minnesota, where Joel Feder was stopped by four squad cars after a license plate misread. The stop occurred in a Kohl's parking lot, and the same mistake was made by police. The system cannot read the middle characters of New Jersey plates, and so 34 03 DTM was logged as 34 DTM, while the camera read 34 10 DTM on the car Feder was driving, and matched it with a lost plate report [1]. Nothing in the process "malfunctioned," according to the report, which stated that it all worked as designed, but it was wrong [1]. The incident is one of several examples cited by critics of automated license plate reader systems. A Wichita machinist sued his city in August 2026 over its network of nearly 200 Flock cameras, asking a Kansas court to declare the program unconstitutional and stop it [6]. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) introduced H.R. 10221, the Flock-Off Act, on Sept. 2, thirteen days before the hearing. The proposal seeks to cut federal funding for Flock cameras [1]. The legislation is part of a broader debate over federal surveillance partnerships and the use of privately collected data by government agencies. Florida's Department of Transportation issued an order in September 2026 prohibiting the use of Flock cameras on state roads, and many counties followed suit [7].

Hearing Highlights Surveillance Debate

The Senate Judiciary hearing on Sept. 15 examined FBI access to privately collected data, queries conducted under FISA Section 702, and the bureau's partnerships with AI and social media companies. Patel defended the practices as lawful and case-by-case, while Lee and other senators questioned the adequacy of privacy protections and the sufficiency of internal procedures [1]. The debate over government surveillance has intensified in recent years, with critics pointing to the historical expansion of intelligence-gathering authorities and the potential for abuse. Section 702 has functioned as a backdoor for electronic surveillance on U.S. citizens without requiring probable cause for a warrant, according to critics of the program [8]. The program was reauthorized and expanded in 2024, with the legislation compelling a wider range of businesses to collect communications on U.S. citizens when they are in contact with foreigners [9]. The Flock-Off Act and reported errors in license plate reader systems remain part of the broader debate over federal surveillance partnerships. As technology continues to advance, questions about the balance between security and privacy are likely to persist. The FBI's reliance on data collected by private companies raises fundamental questions about the Fourth Amendment and the extent to which Americans' movements and activities are monitored by government agencies.

References

Willow Tohi. "Biden approves legislation reauthorizing and broadening government's ability TO SPY ON AMERICANS without a warrant". NaturalNews.com. May 13, 2024.
Cassie B. "Federal court strikes down warrantless FISA backdoor searches as unconstitutional". NaturalNews.com. January 27, 2025.
Arsenio Toledo. "Federal district court rules FISA's Section 702 warrantless surveillance clause is UNCONSTITUTIONAL". NaturalNews.com. January 25, 2025.
Jerome R. Corsi. "Coup d'Etat".
Dan Frieth. "FBI Surveillance, Social Media, AI, Partnerships Draw Scrutiny at Senate Hearing". Reclaim The Net. September 16, 2026.
Reclaim The Net. "Wichita Machinist Sues City to Shut Down Flock License Plate Camera Network". Reclaim The Net. August 5, 2026.
The New American. "Condition 1984: Flock AI Cameras Surveilling U.S.". The New American. March 10, 2026.
NaturalNews.com. "CIA overhauls tech acquisition strategy to compete with China, accelerate private sector partnerships". NaturalNews.com. February 12, 2026.
The New American. "Florida Transportation Department Blocks Flock on State Roads; Counties Follow Suit". The New American. September 3, 2026.

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