McMorris Rodgers unveils bipartisan bill to protect Americans’ personal data from China

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) is working in a bipartisan manner to advance legislation that would strengthen national security by banning data brokers from selling the sensitive personal information of Americans to foreign adversaries. 

Rep. McMorris Rodgers, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, joined with Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) on March 5 to introduce the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024. The bill would help protect personal data, including the data of members of the U.S. military, by prohibiting data brokers from profiting off the sale of that data to China and other foreign adversaries.

“As we continue our work to develop comprehensive data privacy and security legislation, this bill will address an imminent security vulnerability by preventing data brokers from selling sensitive personal information of Americans to our foreign adversaries,” Reps. McMorris Rodgers and Pallone said in a joint statement.

According to the text of the bill, sensitive data includes social security numbers, passport numbers, driver’s license numbers, medical information, financial account numbers, precise geolocation information, texts, photos and audio recordings, and any information about individuals under the age of 17, among many other categories.

The legislation would provide the Federal Trade Commission with enforcement authority and give the agency the authority to seek civil penalties of more than $50,000 for every instance in which a data broker violates the prohibition, according to a summary of the bill. 

“We know that our adversaries and the entities they control can exploit existing opportunities to purchase treasure troves of data about Americans,” the lawmakers said. “We must stop allowing data brokers to freely sell to foreign adversaries our sensitive information, including information about the members of our military and our children.”