Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a thorough review of how federal agencies use hacking tools and spyware against Americans. In a letter sent on August 21, 2026, Wyden highlighted the lack of transparency around the deployment of such technologies by the FBI, DEA, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the Secret Service. Despite these tools being in use for over twenty years, there is little public information on their scope, frequency, or the safeguards in place to prevent abuse.

Wyden emphasized that, unlike traditional surveillance methods such as wiretaps, hacking operations lack regular public reporting. The Justice Department and FBI have consistently declined congressional requests for more transparency over multiple administrations. To address these issues, Wyden asked the GAO to produce an unclassified report detailing its findings on federal hacking practices, alongside recommendations for oversight improvements.

Among Wyden's concerns are potential abuses of hacking tools for unauthorized or personal purposes, the security of tool acquisition and storage to prevent leaks, and how courts are informed when warrants for such hacking activities are sought. He specifically referenced the case of Peter Williams, a former defense contractor executive who stole advanced hacking tools and sold them to a Russian broker, leading to their use against Ukraine and cryptocurrency targets by foreign adversaries.

The use of hacking tools by federal agents dates back at least to 1999, when the FBI deployed malware to capture keystrokes in an investigation involving Philadelphia mobster Nicodemo Scarfo. Wyden’s call for scrutiny underscores ongoing questions about how these powerful cyber capabilities are regulated and the necessity for greater government accountability in their use.