Government Surveillance Transparency Act of 2026

The bill amends title 18 of the U.S. Code to add a new chapter governing criminal surveillance orders, including wiretaps, pen registers, tracking devices, and search warrants. It limits how long courts may seal such orders, applications, and inventories, generally ending sealing after the surveillance concludes, with a path for 180-day sealing based on certified adverse results and a limited number of extensions subject to heightened judicial review. The bill also requires public, bulk-downloadable docket records for criminal surveillance cases regardless of sealing, and allows challenges to sealing with possible award of litigation costs. The provided text was truncated, so provisions on non-disclosure orders to providers and notice to targets could not be fully reviewed.

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