Rand Paul Joins Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden To Question Surveillance By Credit Agencies
RUDY TAKALA
December 16, 2019
A bipartisan Senate trio is asking credit agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to disclose more information about how the companies work with the FBI to spy on American consumers.
“Because [you] hold so much potentially sensitive data on so many Americans and collect this information without obtaining consent from these individuals, you have a responsibility to protect individuals’ data and be transparent about how or when you disclose it,” Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul wrote in a Thursday letter co-signed by Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.).
The trio said the companies frequently receive national security letters (NSLs) from the FBI — akin to “administrative subpoenas” — demanding full credit reports on consumers. While the letters often include gag orders preventing companies from disclosing their receipt, some of those orders have expired, permitting those companies to divulge details of the surveillance if they choose to do so.
Lawmakers pointed out that the companies have opted to withhold the information, even from Congress. “Unfortunately, your company has not provided information to policymakers or the public about the type or the number of disclosures that you have made to the FBI.”
They added, “Dozens of technology and telecommunication companies publish reports of statistics about their receipt of NSLs. But [Equifax, Experian and TransUnion] maintain no such publicly available information and has not provided information about NSL receipt when asked by reporters.”
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