The Subpoena Abuse Prevention Act would restrict how federal agencies can use administrative subpoenas to obtain customer communications and records from service providers like phone and internet companies. The bill requires government agencies to identify specific individuals by name, address, or account information rather than conducting bulk collection of data, and prohibits subpoenas that are intended to investigate or retaliate against people exercising constitutional rights such as free speech, religion, assembly, or petition. Agencies issuing subpoenas must certify under penalty of perjury that the subpoena serves a legitimate law enforcement purpose and not one tied to protected activities. The legislation also requires service providers to be informed that they can notify customers about subpoenas and consult with attorneys, and mandates that federal agencies publish annual reports detailing how many administrative subpoenas they issue and how many accounts are accessed through this process. The bill affects federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies that currently use administrative subpoenas to gather digital information from communications service providers.
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