The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed a pivotal bill to restrict third-party data brokers from selling sensitive American user data to foreign adversaries.
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, H.R. 7520, on Wednesday. The bipartisan bill, which aims to prevent third-party data brokers from trading sensitive user information with geopolitical adversaries such as China and Russia, achieved a sweeping vote of approval on Wednesday, with a final count of 414-0.
The legislation specifically targets third-party data brokers, prohibiting them from selling or disclosing private data of Americans to any foreign adversary or associated entities. The scope of sensitive information under this bill includes genetic details, precise geolocation data, and private communications, including emails and text messages. Moreover, it restricts the sharing of critical personal identifiers like Social Security numbers, passport numbers, and driver's license information.
Despite the bill's robust support in the House, it is narrowly focused and does not encompass American technology companies such as Meta and Apple, leaving them relatively unrestricted in terms of handling the data they collect on users. The bill's future in the Senate remains uncertain, as noted by Politico, and it comes at a time when the legislative body is also contemplating a separate bill aimed at forcing ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to divest its U.S. operations or face a potential shutdown.
The unanimous support for the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act contrasts with the more divided approval of the TikTok ban bill, which passed the House last week with a vote of 352-65. Advocates for the new data privacy bill argue that a TikTok ban would be insufficient if data brokers could still legally sell American user data to hostile nations. This legislation is intended to close that loophole, contingent on Senate action.
The bill was jointly sponsored by two members of the U.S. House, Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington.
While the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act has garnered overwhelming support in the House, its ultimate fate hinges on the Senate's consideration and potential passage. If enacted, the bill could fortify the protection of private American data against exploitation by foreign adversaries, but leaves open the same exploitative practices amongst U.S. based companies.
Originally reported by Gizmodo
