Over One Million Secret FBI Searches Made in Error: Watchdog

Over One Million Secret Searches of Americans Conducted by FBI Made Erroneously

Did you know that more than one million secret searches of Americans conducted by the FBI were made erroneously? This was revealed by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz during his testimony to Congress on April 27.

High Error Rate

According to Horowitz, around 30 percent of the approximately 3.4 million searches were done in error. “It’s obviously very concerning that there’s that volume of searches,” he said. He added that he was particularly concerned with the high error rate.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)

The searches in question were conducted by FBI personnel with authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The bill enables U.S. authorities to gather information on U.S. citizens suspected of being involved with possible spies or terrorists.

New Legislation Needed

Sharon Bradford Franklin, chair of the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, told members that Congress should pass new legislation imposing greater safeguards into the system to protect Americans. That should include requiring probable cause or court review for each query of an American, she said.

“Congress certainly has the authority to do that. And I think that’s one of the key issues for this committee in the Congress to consider,” Horowitz said. Adding new requirements, though, could increase the FBI’s workload, he said.

Support for Adding New Requirements

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) indicated support for adding new requirements. It’s time to protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.

• Some 3.39 million searches were conducted by the FBI in 2021, U.S. intelligence officials have said. That was up from just 1.2 million in 2020.
• An FBI spokesperson disputed that searches were done in error, pointing to a previous report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

It’s time to take action and protect the privacy of Americans. Let’s hope Congress passes new legislation to safeguard our rights.