US House passes bill to protect Americans’ personal information from Russia, China and other adversary countries | – Times of India
The US House of Representatives passed a bill that would safeguard Americans’ personal information from foreign adversaries such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
The proposed legislation, called the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, would prohibit data brokers from selling sensitive data, including health records, Social Security numbers, and personal information like addresses to these countries.
Data brokers are companies that collect and sell people’s personal information for profit. The bill proposed by Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Frank Pallone would make it illegal for these companies to sell sensitive information to countries that the US considers adversaries.
The bill carries a penalty of more than $50,000 for each violation of selling sensitive information to a foreign adversary. This is a significant step towards protecting individual privacy and national security.
Earlier this month, the House passed another bill that focused on TikTok, a social media app owned by a Chinese company. The House wants TikTok to separate from its parent company, or it risks being banned from the US.
Representatives Rodgers and Pallone believe that these bills are part of a larger effort to keep Americans’ data safe. These measures could lead to the development of more comprehensive data privacy laws in the future.
Last year, the White House proposed updates to the Fair Credit Reporting Act to hold data brokers accountable for how they use and sell people’s sensitive information. These changes would give the government more power to protect individuals’ privacy.