In 2020, federal campaigns, super PACs and special interest groups paid data brokers over $23 million to access veritable treasure troves of data on millions of Americans. As the 2022 midterm elections gear up, OpenSecrets has already tracked about $6 million in payments to brokers from federal candidates and super PACs.

Increased pressure on state and federal legislators to implement regulations to protect user data and restrict the sale of user information could pose a serious roadblock to political groups relying on data brokers to build their campaigns. Politicians and operatives from across the political spectrum rely on data provided by brokers to craft campaign strategies, a strong disincentive to regulate the tool that could give their campaign an edge in the near-constant race for reelection.

Read more:

Giorno, T. (2022, April 21). The third-party brokers who make millions selling your data to political groups. Open Secrets. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/04/the-third-party-brokers-who-make-millions-selling-your-data-to-political-groups/