Visitors walk past the U.S. Capitol on September 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) House-passed data privacy bill doesn’t thrill privacy groups A measure to address the sale of Americans’ data doesn’t go far enough to rein in the data broker industry, advocates argue. Mar 21, 2024 By Tim Starks
Framed by television camera lights, U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to governors from across the country during an event in the East Room of the White House on February 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Biden executive order seeks to cut China off from Americans’ sensitive data The order aims to bar the sale of large datasets containing sensitive data to six countries of concern. Feb 28, 2024 By Elias Groll
Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rohit Chopra delivers remarks on relieving medical debt during an event in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds / AFP) CFPB’s proposed data rules would improve security, privacy and competition By giving the public greater control over their banking data, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposal would deal a blow to data brokers. Jan 24, 2024 By Barath Raghavan Bruce Schneier
Pedestrians walk inside newly installed “bike rack” barricades outside the U.S. Capitol on March 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) How Congress can rein in data brokers Know your customer rules are a first step to address the risks of sensitive data — including on U.S. military servicemembers — sold online. Dec 20, 2023 By Brady Allen Kruse
A California flag flies in front of 555 California Street on May 09, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) California passes first-in-the-nation data broker deletion tool Lawmakers in California are continuing to speed ahead of the federal government in writing legislation to address privacy concerns. Sep 15, 2023 By Tonya Riley
CFPB director Rohit Chopra (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) White House hosts roundtable on harmful data broker practices The roundtable coincides with an announcement from the CFPB that it will be issuing proposed rules reining in data brokers. Aug 15, 2023 By Tonya Riley
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 21: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Legislation preventing data broker sales to government agencies moves forward The bill may ultimately be included in a larger surveillance reform package aimed at reforming Section 702. Jul 19, 2023 By Tonya Riley
During a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., seen above in May 2020, asked asked if China could get the same information from data brokers as it could from a backdoor into TikTok. (Photo by Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images) Experts say Congress should do more to keep data brokers from exposing Americans’ private information Lawmakers also raised concerns about how data brokers sell Americans' health data, including mental health and reproductive information. Apr 19, 2023 By Tonya Riley
FTC building (John Taylor/Flickr) FTC bans teletherapy company BetterHelp from sharing consumer health data with advertisers To settle the complaint, BetterHelp has agreed to pay $7.8 million to partially refund consumers whose data has been compromised. Mar 2, 2023 By Tonya Riley
A staff member works on her computer at the Hope Clinic For Women in Granite City, Illinois, on June 27, 2022. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) People search websites create privacy nightmares for abortion rights advocates Many abortion rights advocates say the ease of finding their personal information online from data brokers puts them at risk. Sep 29, 2022 By Tonya Riley