Government agencies in the US collect vast amounts of private data from communications and online activities under national security justifications.

In the United States, agencies like the NSA and FBI have expanded their surveillance capabilities, collecting phone records, emails, and internet data. Laws such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the USA PATRIOT Act have broadened legal frameworks allowing such monitoring. While these actions aim to prevent terrorism and crime, they also raise significant debates about the erosion of privacy and potential misuse of surveillance powers against citizens, especially minorities and activists.