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Trump Administration Kills Biden-Era Rule to Restrict Sale of Americans’ Personal Data

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The Trump administration has withdrawn a key Biden-era proposal that would have severely limited the sale of U.S. consumers’ personal data by third-party data brokers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) confirmed Wednesday via a notice in the Federal Register.

The CFPB also scrapped proposed rules that aimed to:

  • Extend consumer protections to cryptocurrency and digital payment platforms

  • Ban certain fine print clauses in consumer finance contracts

📉 Why It Matters

Consumer privacy advocates say the rollback will leave Americans more vulnerable to scams, surveillance, and identity theft.

“The withdrawal of the data broker proposal leaves consumers vulnerable to scams and identity theft,” said Consumer Reports in a statement.

The Biden-era proposal, introduced in January, was championed by former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, who warned that unregulated data sales posed both a personal and national security threat, particularly for government officials.

⚖️ Trump Administration’s Position

  • The CFPB, under acting director Russell Vought, said the proposal no longer reflects the bureau’s policy objectives.

  • Vought cited “numerous concerns” raised during the public comment period, including potential conflicts with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and broader federal law.

  • The administration has emphasized its intent to dismantle or sharply downsize the CFPB, initially proposing to eliminate the agency outright. Courts are still reviewing the legality of mass staff firings.

🧾 Additional Rollbacks

In recent weeks, the CFPB has:

  • Withdrawn dozens of policy and guidance documents dating back to 2011.

  • Paused efforts to regulate fine-print clauses often used to shield companies from liability.

  • Halted development of oversight for emerging fintech and crypto platforms.

🧭 Implications and Outlook

The rollback:

  • Signals a dramatic regulatory reversal in the consumer finance space

  • Raises new concerns over the commercial use of personal data amid rising cybercrime

  • May create legal ambiguity for data brokers, lenders, and fintech firms navigating a changing policy environment

While some tech and finance industry groups had pushed back on the Biden-era rules, citing compliance burdens and innovation risks, privacy watchdogs now fear the absence of federal safeguards will allow unchecked data harvesting and predatory digital financial practices to flourish.

Lawsuit Accuses Amazon of Secretly Tracking Consumers Through Cellphones

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Key Points:

  • Amazon is facing a class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court, accusing the company of secretly tracking consumers’ movements and selling the collected data.
  • The lawsuit claims Amazon used its Amazon Ads SDK code to allow app developers to collect geolocation data from users’ phones without their consent, revealing sensitive information such as religious affiliations, sexual orientations, and health concerns.
  • The complaint is led by Felix Kolotinsky, a California resident, who alleges that Amazon collected his personal data through the Speedtest by Ookla app.
  • The plaintiffs seek unspecified damages for millions of affected California consumers. The lawsuit cites violations of California state law related to unauthorized computer access and penal law.

Broader Implications:

  • The case highlights growing concerns about companies profiting from user data without proper consent, a trend that has sparked multiple lawsuits and regulatory inquiries in recent years.
  • The lawsuit comes amid other similar cases, such as a recent suit filed by Texas against Allstate for tracking drivers through cellphones.