FBI's Secret Checks Raise Questions

A recent government report, not meant for public eyes, shows the FBI did over 1, 000 secret checks. These checks were on religious groups, journalists, officials, and politicians. The FBI did these checks without any proof of crime. The report was made in January 2026 and was supposed to be destroyed later. The FBI uses these checks to look into people without needing a warrant. They can watch people, use secret informants, and get electronic records. The report says over 100 religious groups, many media outlets, and more than 500 officials were checked this way. The FBI says most of these checks start from tips. But the report found some checks were done without the right approval. Also, agents sometimes used the wrong methods.From 2018 to 2024, the FBI opened and closed about 127, 000 checks. Only 14% of these checks turned into full investigations. This means most checks did not find any useful information. For special checks, the FBI did around 1, 100. But fewer than half of these turned into investigations. Experts warn that these checks let the FBI collect too much personal data without good reason. Some critics say the FBI's system is a waste of time and resources. They argue that the FBI opens too many checks even when there is no real crime. The FBI did not comment on the report. The government office that made the report also said it would not make the report public.