The Federal Trade Commission and Congress are looking to rein in data brokers and protect citizens from the continued use of private data for profit. In a recent report, the FTC suggested several laws that would require businesses that collect personal data to reveal to consumers exactly who they are, what they are doing with that data and where it is being used, as well as provide opt-out options.
“[Data brokers] often know as much – or even more – about us than our family and friends, including our online and in-store purchases, our political and religious affiliations, our income and socioeconomic status and more,” said Edith Ramirez, the commission’s chair.
“There’s no political pressure on Congress, really, to act. The data-broker lobby is incredibly powerful,” Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, told the Washington Post.
The news source noted that data brokers have access to multiple-billions of data points on American citizens.
For enterprises, these laws will likely change compliance regulations if passed, requiring some additional scrutiny on data center security and operations. For many, this may increase the need for higher-quality access control and identity and access management efforts.
In order to streamline data center security and control over private data, biometric security should be deployed not only to keep intruders out, but monitor access to sensitive information and systems through out a facility. Biometrics adds management controls to assess exactly who is accessing server racks and rooms, at what time, and accurately tracks his or her movements in order to identify potential internal thefts more effectively. This will help meeting compliance needs while establishing stronger protection of valuable data center systems at the same time. Server racks can include hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment that a simple $800 biometric lock can secure.