Bipartisan Legislation would Prohibit Data Brokers from Selling People’s Sensitive Personal Data to China and other Foreign Adversaries

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., (D-NJ) introduced H.R. 7520, the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, today. The Committee leaders’ bipartisan bill would protect Americans’ sensitive personal data by prohibiting data brokers from profiting off our data, and especially that of our U.S. military service members, by selling such data to foreign adversaries or entities controlled by foreign adversaries.

“Ensuring the security of Americans’ sensitive personal information, especially that of our military men and women, is more important than ever before—both for individuals as well as our national security,” said Rodgers and Pallone. “As we continue our work to develop comprehensive data privacy and security legislation, this bill will address an imminent security vulnerability by preventing data brokers from selling sensitive personal information of Americans to our foreign adversaries.

“We know that our adversaries and the entities they control can exploit existing opportunities to purchase treasure troves of data about Americans. We must stop allowing data brokers to freely sell to foreign adversaries our sensitive information, including information about the members of our military and our children. We believe this is a commonsense step forward and look forward to working together to advance this bill to safeguard Americans’ personal data and bolster our national security,” Rodgers and Pallone concluded.

The bill would provide the Federal Trade Commission with enforcement authority and provide the agency with the authority to seek civil penalties of more than $50,000 for every instance in which a data broker violates this prohibition. 

Bill text is available HERE.