A federal appeals court in the District has ruled that one of the nation's largest credit bureaus must stop selling lists based on loan information from credit reports, a decision legal specialists said yesterday affirmed the government's authority to guard the privacy of financial data.
Marketers use the lists to profile potential customers and target promotions.
The company also asserted it has a right under the First Amendment of the Constitution to use the information it collects however it sees fit. By deciding in favor of the FTC, the court strongly endorsed the right of legislators and regulators to take steps to protect sensitive personal information, privacy specialists said yesterday. A Trans Union official declined to comment about the case, saying company executives are reviewing the court papers. We haven't decided what our next step is going to be. The court's decision comes as lawmakers on Capitol Hill are engaged in a tart debate about the role of government in resolving privacy issues.