US Senator Ted Cruz blocked a privacy bill aimed at protecting personal data from data brokers, arguing for law enforcement access. Cruz objected to Democrat Senator Ron Wyden’s SB 2850, citing potential disruptions in monitoring convicted sex offenders. Wyden’s bill seeks to protect Americans from data brokers selling sensitive information that can lead to criminal activities like violence and stalking. Cruz rejected a narrower privacy bill by Wyden and offered to work on a more comprehensive bipartisan solution to protect citizens’ privacy.

There is a growing debate on privacy in the cryptocurrency community, emphasizing the need to limit data shared with brokers to reduce security breaches. Data brokers collect personal information like names, addresses, and financial data to sell for marketing purposes and decision-making. Calls for expanded privacy protections for lawmakers come after the fatal home attack on former Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman in June, linking the incident to data brokers.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation believes the alleged perpetrator in the fatal home attack on former Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman accessed her address through data brokers. Members of the crypto community have faced targeted attacks, with over 50 incidents in 2025 alone, involving perpetrators obtaining victims’ home addresses to carry out crimes. Senator Wyden is investigating Dan Morehead, founder of Pantera Capital, for allegedly avoiding over $100 million in US taxes by misrepresenting residency status and exploiting Puerto Rico’s tax system.

Read more at Cointelegraph: Senator Ted Cruz Blocks Two Bipartisan Privacy Bills