Americans Are Having Social Security Numbers Sold—Now Some Can Stop It
Summary
Millions of Americans’ Social Security numbers and other personal data have been sold on the dark web due to repeated data breaches. California’s new Delete Act lets residents request data brokers to erase their sensitive information and stop selling it, using a central platform called DROP.Key Facts
- Social Security numbers are being sold online, allowing criminals to commit fraud like opening credit cards or stealing tax refunds.
- California’s Delete Act (SB 362) gives people the right to ask data brokers to delete their personal and sensitive data.
- The DELETE Act covers data such as Social Security numbers, precise location, browsing history, email addresses, phone numbers, health info, and shopping habits.
- Data brokers must delete the requested info and stop selling it in the future, or face fines of $200 per day per person.
- As of July 1, over 330,000 Californians have signed up to erase their data through DROP.
- Nearly 600 data brokers are registered in California; many sell precise location, identity data, gender identity, reproductive health info, and info about minors.
- Some brokers sell data to governments, police, foreign entities, and artificial intelligence developers.
- Data brokers collect info from public records, apps, and online tracking, then sell it to advertisers, political campaigns, landlords, and others.
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