Senator Wyden Requests Federal Watchdog Review of Government Hacking Tool Use
Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, has formally requested the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into how federal law enforcement agencies utilize hacking tools and spyware against American citizens. Wyden's concern stems from a perceived lack of transparency regarding the scope, frequency, and reasons for deploying these tools by agencies such as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the Secret Service. In a letter sent to the GAO, Wyden highlighted that unlike wiretaps and pen registers, which have public annual reports, there is no equivalent public information for government hacking operations. He noted that while these tools have been in use for over two decades, congressional requests for greater transparency from the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have been consistently ignored across multiple administrations. Wyden is specifically asking the GAO to investigate potential abuses of these to... 
