House passes bill that would bar data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to ‘adversary’ countries

The Home of Representatives a measure focusing on information brokers’ capability to promote People’ private information to “adversary” international locations, like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. The Defending People’ Information from Overseas Adversaries Act handed with a unanimous 414 – 0 vote.

The , which was launched alongside a measure that might pressure a ban or sale of TikTok, would prohibit information brokers from promoting People’ “delicate” information to individuals or entities in “adversary” international locations. Very like a current from President Joe Biden focusing on information brokers, the invoice particularly covers geolocation, monetary, well being, and biometric information, in addition to different non-public data like textual content logs and telephone name historical past.

If handed — the invoice will want Senate approval earlier than touchdown on Biden’s desk — it might symbolize a big verify on the comparatively unregulated information dealer business. US officers have beforehand warned that China and different geopolitical rivals of the US have already acquired huge troves of People’ data from brokers and privateness advocates have lengthy urged lawmakers to control the multibillion-dollar business.

The invoice is the second main piece of bipartisan laws to return out of the Home Power and Commerce this month. The committee beforehand launched the “Defending People from Overseas Adversary Managed Functions Act,” which might require TikTok to divest itself from guardian firm ByteDance or face a ban within the US. In , Representatives Frank Pallone and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, mentioned that the newest invoice “builds” on their work to move the measure focusing on TikTok. “At the moment’s overwhelming vote sends a transparent message that we’ll not permit our adversaries to undermine American nationwide safety and particular person privateness by buying individuals’s personally identifiable delicate data from information brokers,” they mentioned.