Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026

House Bill

H.R. 7738

119th Congress

Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026

In Committee

Introduced:Feb 26, 2026

Primary Sponsor

Ted Lieu

D - CA

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Summary

This bill would require law enforcement to eventually notify people when they've been targets of secret surveillance orders, ending the practice of indefinite secrecy. It also reforms 'gag orders' that prevent tech companies and service providers from telling customers about government data requests, and prohibits surveillance warrants from being sealed forever without public knowledge.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Introduced2/26/2026

StatusReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026

This bill would require law enforcement to eventually notify people when they've been targets of secret surveillance orders, ending the practice of indefinite secrecy. It also reforms 'gag orders' that prevent tech companies and service providers from telling

Community Breakdown

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This bill would require law enforcement to eventually notify people when they've been targets of secret surveillance orders, ending the practice of indefinite secrecy. It also reforms 'gag orders' that prevent tech companies and service providers from telling customers about government data requests, and prohibits surveillance warrants from being sealed forever without public knowledge.

Bill Number: 7738
Introduced: 2/26/2026
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026
Bill Number: 7738
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 2/26/2026
Summary: This bill would require law enforcement to eventually notify people when they've been targets of secret surveillance orders, ending the practice of indefinite secrecy. It also reforms 'gag orders' that prevent tech companies and service providers from telling customers about government data requests

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill would require law enforcement to eventually notify people when they've been targets of secret surveillance orders, ending the practice of indefinite secrecy. It also reforms 'gag orders' that prevent tech companies and service providers from telling customers about government data requests, and prohibits surveillance warrants from being sealed forever without public knowledge.

Last updated: 2/27/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Targets of government surveillance would eventually be informed that they were monitored, giving them an opportunity to challenge potentially unlawful searches after investigations conclude
Tech companies, phone providers, and internet services could no longer be silenced indefinitely about government requests for user data—gag orders would have time limits
Court records for surveillance orders couldn't remain sealed forever, increasing transparency in how law enforcement uses surveillance powers
Aims to balance legitimate law enforcement needs with constitutional privacy rights and due process protections

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would primarily affect anyone who uses digital services—from email to social media to phone records—by giving them greater transparency about government surveillance. Tech companies and service providers would gain more freedom to inform customers about data requests, while individuals subjected to surveillance would have a chance to learn about and potentially challenge those actions. Civil liberties advocates would likely see this as strengthening Fourth Amendment protections, while it may face opposition from law enforcement agencies concerned about compromising investigations.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

7738, 119th Congress (2026). "Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-hr-7738

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