Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  On Thursday, U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Moving American's Privacy Protection Act (MAPPA), introduced by U.S. Congressmen Mike Waltz (FL-06) and Bill Pascrell (NJ-9), to require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to remove personally identifiable information (PII), which includes Social Security and passport numbers, from cargo manifests before public disclosure.

U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Gary Peters (D-MI) led companion legislation in the Senate.

“The personal information of every American should be safe and secure,” said Waltz. “However, due to the current public disclosure of cargo manifests, our service members and their families experience a higher risk of identity theft and fraud as they move abroad. It is critical we take the necessary steps to protect them against dangerous and fraudulent activity. That’s why I am proud to pass legislation in the House to secure international travel and help safeguard the livelihoods of Americans.”

“It’s simple—the private information of Montanans and our service members should never be jeopardized just because they are moving or traveling abroad,” said Senator Daines. “Safeguarding Americans from identity theft and fraud is a top priority of mine and I’m glad to see our commonsense, bipartisan bill one step closer to becoming law.”

“The American Trucking Associations’ Moving & Storage Conference is proud to serve our military and other families when they return home to the United States.  Our members handle both household items and personal information with care, which is why they have long advocated for Congress to make commonsense changes to disclosure requirements on shipping forms,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “We applaud Reps. Waltz and Pascrell for leading the passage of this bill to safeguard repatriating Americans’ personal data, which will protect them from becoming victims of financial fraud.”

“The House’s passage of Moving Americans Privacy Protection Act represents a major step forward to protect military families and other Americans relocating from overseas,” said ATA’s Moving & Storage Conference Executive Director Ryan Bowley.  “We have strongly pushed for this legislation to help reduce repatriating Americans’ risk of having their identities stolen.  We are grateful for Reps. Waltz and Pascrell’s leadership on this issue, and we will continue to work with Senator Daines and other champions on this issue to move this bill across the finish line to prevent unnecessary disclosures of Americans’ personal data.”

This legislation also has the support of the trade data brokerage industry and the entire relocation industry, including the National Association of Realtors, as well as the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). 

Background: 

Currently, CBP requires manifest sheets, which includes PII, in order to disclose and document the cargo of incoming vessels for customs and security purposes. In 1984, the public disclosure of certain manifest information was required. The original intent of this provision was to increase competition, to facilitate better public analysis of import trends, and allow port authorities and transportation companies to more easily identify potential customers and changes in their industries. However, in recent years, PII of relocating individuals has been released, enabling identity theft, credit card fraud, and unwanted solicitations.