ALEXANDRIA, VA - Americans moving to another country can have their personal information sold to third-party data brokers without their knowledge or consent, but Congress is now considering legislation to stop this from happening. Scott Michael, president and CEO, and Paul Milotte, vice president of government relations, of the American Moving & Storage Association comment on congressional consideration of the Moving Americans Privacy Protection Act, which was introduced in the House of Representatives on November 15. “Most Americans who move abroad don’t realize that their personal information is up for grabs with sometimes unscrupulous people,” said Scott Michael. “With the introduction of the Moving Americans Privacy Protection Act in the House, and identical legislation already under consideration in the Senate, we strongly urge Congress to pass this bill without delay. We thank all our members who visited congressional offices during Moving Day on Capitol Hill this year for helping move this forward.” The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires manifest documents for shipments into the United States be submitted to them at or before entry. The CBP is allowed, by law, to sell this information to third-party data brokers. The vast majority of the sold information contains commercial transactions between exporters and importers and is used to produce statistical information regarding shipments in and out of the United States. The manifest information sold by CBP, however, includes citizens’ or service members’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII) when moving their household goods internationally. PII can even include your Social Security number, passport number, license information, home address, etc. The American Moving & Storage Association appreciates the bipartisan efforts of Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Representatives Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) in bringing the Moving Americans Privacy Protection Act forward for consideration by Congress. “The American Moving & Storage Association has taken the lead in working diligently to get this bill introduced in both chambers of Congress,” said Paul Milotte. “We will continue working with congressional offices to get this common-sense legislation signed into law. This would be a huge win for the moving and storage industry, and for the American families we serve.”