June 16, 2022

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has introduced a bill to ban data brokers from selling Americans’ location and health information.

The proposed Health and Location Data Protection Act “forbids data brokers from selling or transferring location data and health data and requires the Federal Trade Commission to promulgate rules to implement the law within 180 days, while making exceptions for HIPAA-compliant activities, protected First Amendment speech, and validly authorized disclosures.”

The law will allow the FTC, state attorneys general and anyone affected by location and health data sales to file lawsuits seeking financial damages and injunctions. The proposal will also give the FTC an extra $1 billion funding.

The bill’s co-sponsors include Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

The issue of data protection remains central. Activists call for better controls to prevent the illegal use of customer data.

The sources for this piece include and article in ArsTechnica.