Paxton wants more action from Federal Trade Commission to protect privacy of Americans

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants greater protections for the privacy of consumers, and he is joining a Massachusetts-led multistate comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to get it done.

In the letter, Paxton points to location data, biometric data, and medical data as areas of significant vulnerability without increased safeguards.

“Many consumers believe that tracking by companies is inevitable, yet often do not even know what is being recorded. These fears intensify when they learn more about the commercial surveillance economy, and in particular consumers fear falling victim to identity theft and data misuse. . . . Our submission highlights the heightened sensitivity of certain categories of consumer information, the dilemma of data brokers and how they surveil consumers, and how data minimization can help mitigate concerns surrounding data aggregation.”

The letter also identifies “data brokers” as large-scale threats to American citizens’ privacy in the digital age. It describes these entities as massive corporate efforts that quietly collect and sell the data of millions of consumers without their knowledge or consent.

A total of 33 Attorneys General from around the U.S. signed the letter calling on the FTC to adopt new and aggressive data minimization efforts to ensure companies have a legal obligation to limit the constant and overly invasive collection and retention of consumer data.