Warren proposes sweeping ban on location and health data sales

Photo by Elizabeth Frantz-Pool/Getty Images

The sale of location and health data will be banned under a proposal by Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

The health and location protection act was cosponsored by a slate of Democratic senators. The bill is one of the most strident proposals intended to regulate data sales.

Warren said in a statement that data brokers profit from the location data of millions of people and pose serious risks to Americans everywhere. It is more important than ever for Congress to protect consumers' sensitive data as the Supreme Court prepares to overturn Wade.

The bill would give the FTC, state attorneys general, and people hurt by an illegal data sale the power to file lawsuits. Over the next decade, the FTC will get an additional $1 billion to help enforce the law. The bill only applies to certain activities that are protected by the First Amendment or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Following weeks of reporting about how companies sell location data to people who have visited abortion clinics, the first report on Warren's bill was published by the website. Placer.ai allowed users to create maps of where abortion clinic visitors live.

It is possible to track and prosecute women across the U.S. when abortion is illegal, according to Senator Ron Wyden. Far-right politicians want to control women's bodies, so Congress needs to protect Americans' privacy.

Warren signed on to a letter asking the FTC to explain how it investigates location tracking abuses and what resources it needs to protect consumers.