Federal Ability to Buy Citizen Data Worries Lawmakers and Experts Alike – By Alexandra Kelley (Nextgov) / July 20, 2022
Expert witnesses expressed support for bills that close loopholes in existing laws, which currently allow the federal purchase of private data.
A House committee examined government practices in civilian data collection Tuesday, with a notable emphasis on digital privacy and health data security in the wake of the Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson case ruling.
A panel of experts working within the digital privacy law and advocacy arena testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Many of the witnesses and committee members criticized data brokers, or companies that sell sensitive personal information
“The fact that our data is being collected is an underlying problem, and we need to do something about that.” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said during the hearing. Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., agreed, citing the problematic contracts federal law enforcement enter into with data brokers, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
