Treasury Secretary Bessent Faces Critical Small Business Data Security Dilemma

Scott Bessent, the United States Treasury secretary, has solidified his position as Donald Trump's most favored cabinet member according to recent reports. Bessent's influence within the administration continues to grow as he navigates significant policy decisions affecting American businesses.

One of the most pressing matters currently facing Bessent's Treasury Department involves the handling of beneficial ownership information collected from small business owners. Over one hundred trade associations and business groups have sent a formal letter to Secretary Bessent urging the immediate destruction of sensitive data from small business owners that was previously collected under the Corporate Transparency Act. These organizations argue that the data poses serious cybersecurity risks and privacy concerns for approximately thirty-two million small businesses across the country.

The beneficial ownership information rule, enacted in twenty twenty-one, originally required businesses with fewer than twenty employees and five million dollars or less in annual revenue to register sensitive personal data. However, small businesses have since been granted an exemption from this reporting mandate. Despite this exemption, millions of small business owners remain vulnerable because their personal information continues to be stored in federal databases. The coalition of business groups is calling on Bessent to finalize a rule that permanently exempts small businesses from beneficial ownership reporting and to ensure that all previously collected data is permanently purged from government systems.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN, currently maintains this sensitive data in what many in the business community view as untested online databases. Critics argue that storing this information creates unacceptable security risks and that the data should be deleted to protect business owners from potential breaches and misuse.

This situation presents Bessent with a significant early test of his priorities as Treasury secretary. The business community is watching closely to see whether his department will prioritize the security concerns of small business owners or maintain the existing data collection infrastructure. His response to these calls for data destruction could set the tone for his relationship with the business sector throughout Trump's administration.

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