Feb 27 2026
NEW REPORT: Senator Hassan Finds That Data Broker Breaches Cost U.S. Consumers More Than $20 Billion
U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, issued a report today on the results of her investigation into challenges with data collection opt-out options at registered data brokers and the cost to Americans from data broker breaches. Data brokers typically collect and sell the personal information of individuals, and if this information ends up in the hands of bad actors – which can happen either through active sales or data breaches – scammers can then use details like Social Security numbers, home addresses, or banking information to develop customized and convincing scams. As detailed in the report, the Committee found that recent data broker breaches cost U.S. consumers more than $20 billion.