Senate Investigates Nine Data Brokers
Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W. Va., opened up an investigation of nine data brokers’ practices on Wednesday. The Commerce Committee sent letters to nine information brokers: Acxiom, Experian, Equifax, Transunion, Epsilon, Reed Elsevier (Lexis-Nexis), Datalogix, Rapleaf and Spokeo. The investigation aims to understand their practices and the impact they have on consumers. “Because consumers are now able to conduct nearly all of their daily business online, an unprecedented amount of personal, medical, and financial information about them can be mined, collected, and sold,” Rockefeller writes in his letters. “Because your industry has monetized consumer data, it is critical that we understand what information companies like yours are already collecting and selling.” (NYTimes.com)
