A new study shows the personal information of U.S. military personnel is for sale on the Internet for just pennies per record.
The team of researchers at Duke University found it was possible to buy data from U.S. data brokers, including the health conditions and home addresses of some service members, for as little as 12 cents.
The study said the information could be used to target active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their families and acquaintances for things like blackmail and stalking.
CNN is reporting that Oregon Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden called the study a sobering wake-up call for policymakers that the data broker industry is out of control and poses a serious threat to U.S. national security.
A Pentagon spokesman said the study findings raise concerns about privacy interests, civil liberties interests, national security implications, threats to service members from adversaries, and operational security risks.
Link to study -- https://techpolicy.sanford.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/11/Sherman-et-al-2023-Data-Brokers-and-the-Sale-of-Data-on-US-Military-Personnel.pdf
