March 21, 2024 at 11:12AM
The US House of Representatives passed bipartisan bill H.R. 7520, prohibiting data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to foreign adversary countries or entities. The bill empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the legislation and covers various sensitive information types. The legislation aims to safeguard national security and individual privacy.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes:
1. The US House of Representatives has passed the bipartisan bill, H.R. 7520, known as the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024.
2. The legislation prohibits data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to foreign adversary countries or entities under their control.
3. The bill passed by a vote of 414 – 0 and empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce the legislation.
4. The legislation defines criteria for what constitutes ‘controlled by a foreign adversary’ and covers various types of sensitive information, including personally identifiable information, geolocation, protected health, financial, and biometric information, private communications, user login data, calendar information, call and text logs, and more.
5. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., (D-NJ) stated that H.R. 7520 strengthens data protections and safeguards the nation from foreign adversaries.
6. The legislation follows an Executive Order issued by US President Joe Biden, preventing the mass transfer of sensitive data to countries of concern.
These key points outline the significance of the legislation and its impact on protecting Americans’ personal data from foreign adversaries.