Your name, address, voting history, and phone number are being sold every day — often by the same campaigns asking for your vote. HIPAA proved we can stop this. Congress just refuses to.
Your name, address, voting history, and phone number are being sold every day — often by the same campaigns asking for your vote. HIPAA proved we can stop this. Congress just refuses to.
My data belongs to me, and it shouldn't be sold to benefit others. Laws should prohibit the sale of personal data, as HIPAA shows such laws are effective. I don't want my birthdate, name, address, phone number, voting history, party affiliation, email, or photos sold without my consent. Protecting personal data feels like whack-a-mole, with new sellers constantly popping up.
Governments are the biggest collectors of personal data. As a candidate, I could buy 3.3 million SC voter records, including personal details, for $2500. I've been offered spam services at $0.008 per message. Voters should see spam as an offensive disqualifier. If you buy my data without my permission and target me, I won't vote for you.
Data brokers have access to huge amounts of personal info: neighbors' and relatives' names, birthdates, some stolen passwords, SSNs, mortgage details, credit card debts, credit limits, all addresses, driver's license numbers, shopping habits, news reading, and more. If I give permission to share my data, that's fine; if not, I want NIL, like college players if you use my data.
Congress should strengthen HIPAA laws to better protect personal data, require clear consent, ban data brokers, and stop social media from commodifying us. They should pay us for our data. Platforms like Facebook and X sell services based on our information. All social media companies operate on a pay-to-play model. They are major sources of spam. Congress must act to safeguard our rights.
By Don Louis · Published 2026-04-07