- United States
- Ill.
- Letter
The concerning decision by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to withdraw proposed rules aimed at restricting data brokers' ability to sell Americans' sensitive personal information without consent is deeply troubling. These companies operate within a multibillion-dollar industry built on compiling and trading detailed profiles on nearly every individual, often including highly sensitive data like precise location history, political affiliations, and religious beliefs. This information is frequently resold for various purposes, ranging from marketing to law enforcement surveillance, without people's knowledge or consent. The potential harms are severe, with data broker activities posing risks to personal safety, national security, and enabling scams, fraud, and abuse. Investigations have shown how trivial it is for foreign adversaries to de-anonymize and misuse this data to target military personnel, public officials, survivors of domestic violence, and immigrant populations. The withdrawn CFPB rule aimed to combat these threats by ensuring data brokers obtain consent before selling or sharing sensitive personal and financial information. Therefore, I urge you to take action to reinstate and advance regulatory measures that protect Americans' privacy rights and personal data from exploitative data broker practices. Robust safeguards are crucial to shield individuals from the severe consequences of unchecked commercial surveillance and data trading. The CFPB must uphold its mandate to safeguard consumer interests over corporate profits in this space. Decisive steps are needed to rein in data brokers' predatory business model and the myriad harms it enables.
