Wyden, Eshoo Urge NTIA to Update Privacy Practices

NTIA needs to “upgrade its privacy practices to protect the personal information of US users,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., wrote the agency Wednesday with several other members. They claim NTIA hasn’t updated its privacy guidelines for contractors handling domain registration information since at least 2005. “The automatic public disclosure of users’ personal information puts them at enhanced risk for becoming victims of identity theft, spamming, spoofing, doxxing, online harassment, and even physical harm,” they wrote. They recommended requiring affirmative consent for the transfer of user data to third parties, warrants for agencies requesting data and alerts for users when foreign adversaries like Russia and China access information. NTIA didn’t comment.