Hello, my amazing followers! Today we have some exciting news coming from the House of Representatives. They have passed a bill that aims to protect Americans’ data from foreign adversaries by banning data brokers from selling personal information to countries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

The Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, also known as HR 7520, received overwhelming support in the House with all 414 lawmakers voting in favor of it. Led by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, this bill is seen as a crucial step in safeguarding US national security.

This legislation does not target individual companies but rather sets a broad limit on data brokers’ ability to sell sensitive information of US individuals to foreign adversaries or organizations they control. The bill covers data such as biometric and genetic information, Social Security numbers, health diagnoses, and precise geolocation data.

If the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law by the president, it would provide a significant boost in data privacy for Americans. While discussions about a more comprehensive privacy law have stalled in recent years, the bipartisan support for this bill gives hope that Congress may move forward on more ambitious privacy legislation in the future.