Warren, Scanlon push bill to ban AI firms from selling health data

What happened

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Mary Gay Scanlon are planning to introduce an updated Health and Location Data Protection Act that would ban companies from selling Americans' health and location data to brokers, with specific coverage of data entered into AI systems like ChatGPT and Claude. The bill is also sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden and Bernie Sanders. The FTC would be required to enact rules within 180 days, and the bill earmarks $1 billion（約1600億円） to the FTC over the next 10 years for enforcement.

Why it matters

AI companies including OpenAI, xAI, and Anthropic have recently introduced health-focused chatbot features and encouraged users to upload sensitive medical records. However, data protection largely depends on what these companies promise in their privacy policies and terms of use, leaving users vulnerable to breaches or unauthorized access. The US currently lacks an overall federal framework for data privacy, making this legislative approach the primary mechanism to protect health information in the AI era.

What to watch

The bill would allow the FTC, state attorneys general, and affected individuals to sue for enforcement, creating multiple avenues for accountability. The 180-day deadline for FTC rule-making means concrete regulatory action could follow relatively quickly if passed.