Congress·In Committee·S. 3918

Sen. Wyden and Bipartisan Group Push Bill to End Indefinite Secrecy for Government Surveillance

Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026

17 days ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026

Legislative Progress

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Key Points

The bill ends indefinite secrecy for government surveillance orders like wiretaps and digital searches. Courts can no longer seal these orders forever — instead, sealing is limited to 180-day periods, with extensions requiring increasingly strong justification from law enforcement.
Law enforcement must notify people when their private communications or records have been monitored. If the government gets your emails, phone records, or other digital information, they have to tell you — though notice can be delayed during active investigations if a judge approves.
From policy text
“A governmental entity receiving records or information under subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this section or seeking an order under section 3123 shall provide notice prior to conducting the court-authorized surveillance to the subscriber or customer”
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Courts must maintain public docket records of all surveillance cases, published online in an accessible format. These records show which agencies requested surveillance, what crimes were being investigated, and whether judges granted or denied the requests — giving the public a window into how these tools are used.
The bill provides $25 million in grants for state and tribal courts to upgrade their technology to comply with the new transparency rules. Federal courts get 2 years to implement the changes, while state and tribal courts that lack electronic docketing get up to 4 years.
From policy text
“The Attorney General shall make grants to State and Tribal court systems for the cost of implementing the requirements under the amendments made by this Act for the 5-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.”
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Annual public reporting on surveillance activity is required. Judges must report details on every surveillance order they issue or deny, and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts must publish comprehensive statistics each year on its website.

Civil RightsCriminal JusticeTechnology Digital

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 25, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Feb 25, 2026

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

2 years after enactment

New transparency rules take effect for federal courts

Federal courts must begin publicly docketing surveillance cases, automatically unsealing expired orders, and following the new limits on sealing. People targeted by surveillance start receiving notice.

4 years after enactment

State and tribal courts with limited technology must comply

Courts that currently lack electronic docketing get an extra 2 years beyond federal courts to implement the transparency and reporting requirements, supported by federal grants.

Related News

3 articles

Sierra Sun Times·11 days ago

U.S. Senator Mike Lee Cosponsors Bipartisan Government Surveillance Transparency Act

U.S. Senator Mike Lee cosponsored the Government Surveillance Transparency Act to require public reporting and notice of the hundreds of thousands of criminal surveillance orders issued by courts each year. These orders are typically sealed indefinitely, keeping surveillance hidden for years.

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Gblock·14 days ago

Section 702 Expires in April—Congress Can't Agree on Whether to Keep Warrantless Surveillance

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced the Government Surveillance Transparency Act. The bill would require law enforcement to notify people when their electronic communications have been surveilled and mandate public reporting on surveillance orders.

VitalLaw·17 days ago

Bicameral Bill Would Require Notice of Electronic Surveillance

The Government Surveillance Transparency Act was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ron Wyden to bring transparency to court-ordered surveillance. The bill requires law enforcement to notify targets about subpoenas and court-ordered surveillance of their electronic data.