FBI Improperly Gathered Personal Information, Justice Audit Shows

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The FBI improperly and, in some cases, illegally used the USA Patriot Act to secretly obtain personal information about people in the United States, according to a Justice Department audit. The auditors also found that FBI underreported to Congress how often it forced businesses to turn over the customer data. FBI agents sometimes demanded data without proper authorization; at other times, the agency obtained telephone records in non-emergency circumstances. (3/9/07)