Data brokers are a legal surveillance loophole: Police can simply buy your private data from commercial data brokers—no warrant, no court order, no oversight. This massive, unregulated market lets agencies sidestep every traditional privacy protection. “Super warrants” exist for real-time content: If cops want to intercept your messages as they’re sent, they must meet the highest legal bar—probable cause, exhaustion of alternatives, and strict minimization rules. This requirement is stricter than for stored data, yet most users have never heard of it. Gag orders silence providers—and you: Law enforcement can force tech companies to keep data requests secret, blocking them from notifying you. These open-ended non-disclosure orders erode First Amendment rights and hide the true scale of surveillance from public view.