Senator asks US government watchdog to review how feds use hacking tools

Senator Ron Wyden has formally requested that the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the federal watchdog agency, investigate how law enforcement uses hacking tools and spyware against American citizens. The Oregon Democrat sent a letter on Friday asking for a comprehensive review of these practices across the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the Secret Service. Wyden’s request stems from what he describes as a persistent lack of public information about how often these digital surveillance methods are deployed and for what specific reasons.

In his letter, Wyden noted that while federal agents have employed hacking tools for more than two decades, there is little transparency regarding the scope, frequency, or operational safeguards surrounding their use. Unlike wiretaps and pen registers, which require annual public reporting, the government does not publish similar disclosures for hacking operations. Wyden has asked the GAO to produce an unclassified report containing its findings and recommendations.

The senator’s request comes after years of what he characterizes as repeated dismissals by the Department of Justice and the FBI of congressional inquiries into this issue, spanning multiple presidential administrations. Wyden pointed to the case of Peter Williams, a former executive at defense contractor L3Harris, who stole and sold advanced hacking tools to a Russian broker. Those stolen tools were later used by Russian intelligence operatives against Ukraine and by Chinese cybercriminals targeting cryptocurrency owners, highlighting the potential national security risks of these acquisition practices.

The earliest documented use of federal spyware dates back to 1999, during an FBI investigation into illegal gambling and loan sharking in Philadelphia. Agents investigating mobster Nicodemo S. Scarfo discovered that he had used the encryption program Pretty Good Privacy, or PGP, to protect a file they believed contained key evidence. To bypass the encryption, the FBI installed a rudimentary keystroke-logging malware on Scarfo’s computer, which allowed them to capture his password and decrypt the file.

Wyden’s letter specifically emphasizes that the gap in public oversight leaves Americans without a clear understanding of how their data might be accessed by federal agencies. The request to the GAO is designed to force a structured, independent evaluation of these surveillance tools rather than relying on agency self-reporting. The outcome of the review could lead to new recommendations for congressional oversight or legislative changes.

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