Vermont's new data broker law shows challenge of regulating companies compiling and selling your personal information

Lawmakers in VT are at the forefront of a national movement aiming to shine a light on data brokers that buy and sell the personal information of millions of Americans with whom they have no direct relationship. A state law passed in 2018 required all businesses that trade data on VT’s residents to register publicly and share some basic information about how they operate. The goal was to give residents one public database where they can find clear information about all companies that sell their data and steps they can take to delete it. Instead, the VT effort showed how difficult regulating these companies can be. Dozens of firms registered, but few offered clear answers about what they do with data and whether users may remove themselves from databases. Some data firms didn’t bother to register.