US spy agencies buy and sell huge amounts Americans’ data
US spy agencies BUY and sell massive amounts of data about Americans available online: Information on almost EVERY citizen is available – and they don’t know it, damning intelligence report reveals
- Sales pose a huge threat to privacy, a new report commissioned by National Intelligence Director Avril Haines found
- There is little regulation of what is sold and who buys
- “This review demonstrates that existing government policies have failed to provide essential safeguards for the privacy of Americans,” said Senator Ron Wyden.
U.S. spy agencies buy and sell Americans’ personal data, posing a huge threat to privacy, according to a stunning new report released Monday.
The offering has grown from simple address history and demographic information to stacks of data-generated smartphone devices and apps, social media platforms, cars and location trackers such as fitness watches, the Wall Street Journal reported.
That detailed information could now “damage a person’s reputation, emotional well-being or physical safety,” according to a report commissioned by National Intelligence Director Avril Haines.
U.S. spy agencies buy and sell personal data from Americans with little to no regulation, a new report finds
It urged US intelligence agencies to develop better policies, procedures and safeguards around what is known as commercially available information or CAI.
The CAI market is loosely regulated when it comes to buying and selling data.
The report was requested by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a member of the Senate Intelligence Panel.
“This review shows that the government’s existing policies have failed to provide essential safeguards for the privacy of Americans, or to monitor how agencies purchase and use personal data,” Wyden said in a statement.
He urged President Joe Biden’s administration to create guidelines for handling the information.
“The executive branch needs to be much more oversight of this practice, advise agencies on the legal status of commercial data, and provide transparency to the American people about how they interpret the law,” Wyden said.
The study was the first known effort by the U.S. government to comprehensively examine how federal agencies acquire, share and use commercially available datasets that are often curated with little public awareness that their data is being collected and resold. log reported.
The sale poses a huge threat to privacy, a new report from National Intelligence Director Avril Haines found
“This assessment demonstrates that existing government policies have failed to provide essential safeguards for the privacy of Americans,” said Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, who requested the report.
Sellers claim that they strip the data of personal information such as names or addresses.
But privacy advocates said information can be gleaned from geolocations on phones. Browsing data can also reveal personal information.
Wyden urged Congress to take action.
“If the government can get around the Fourth Amendment due process, there will be few meaningful restrictions on government oversight. Meanwhile, Congress must pass legislation to put guardrails around government purchases, to rein in private companies that collect and sell this data, and to keep Americans’ personal information out of the hands of our adversaries,” he said.