Big Tech Wants Free Rein to Sell Your Data

Tech companies accused of exposing consumers to fraud want the Trump administration to let them freely buy and sell your personal information.

Craig Boundy,CEO of Experian North America

Experian North America offices in Costa Mesa, California on October 19, 2018. (Paul Bersebach / Digital First Media / Orange County Register via Getty Images)


As the Trump administration attempts to eviscerate the federal agency tasked with overseeing consumer protection, Big Tech trade associations and data brokers peddling consumer data are trying to kill a rule that would limit how they can sell sensitive personal information like your Social Security number and home address.

Some of those companies have been previously sued by regulators for issuing false credit reports and tricking consumers into monthly paid subscriptions. One of the largest of the companies was recently fined $150 million for knowingly selling more than 30 million consumers’ data to fraudsters who went on to target elderly victims.

If these groups get their way, the sensitive data for millions of Americans will continue to be up for sale, and experts say nefarious actors could potentially buy personal data that includes not just financial information but also data on dating app usageexercise habitshealth metrics, and users’ locations.

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