Ahead of the 2024 election, a nonprofit group named Voters has managed to engage 50,000 healthcare professionals to reach out to hospital patients for voter registration. This is one of the revelations from a new book by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a former chairman of the House Oversight Committee.
“Well, maybe a lot of these patients are under sedation or on some medications,” Chaffetz noted while speaking on the *Drill Down* podcast with co-hosts Peter Schweiser and Eric Eggers. “We found that the Tise Foundation, Open Societies Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation present significant opportunities.”
“They actually managed to register 50,000 doctors across 700 hospitals, many of whom were patients—some even in psychiatric institutions,” Chaffetz continued.
This is one of the key takeaways from Chaffetz’s upcoming book, *They’re Coming for You: Deep State Spies, NGOs, and Awakened Businesses are Planning to Drive You Out of the Economy*.
The organization known as “Voting” collaborates with hospitals and other healthcare entities to facilitate voter registration. They claim to operate in a bipartisan manner, though an *Investigation by Washington Examiner* indicates they largely draw funds from left-leaning foundations like The Tides Foundation and others linked to George Soros and the Gates Foundation.
“Forget about HIPAA! You might not even realize this is happening to you,” Chaffetz asserted during the podcast.
Chaffetz is also a commentator for Fox News and leads the Heritage Foundation’s Accountability Project. He recently joined Schweiser and Eggers to discuss concerns regarding cyber threats to American freedom and privacy.
He mentioned that during the Obama and Biden administrations, there was a clear movement towards a system reminiscent of China’s “social credit.” But that’s not the only troubling aspect.
The more alarming issue is the mass collection and resale of American personal data. Various entities—private companies, social media, hospitals, and local DMVs—sell this information, typically to data brokers who then pass it along to law enforcement, the IRS, and more.
Some individuals have been scrutinized based on information gleaned from data brokers, including those who legally purchase firearms. Early meetings led by President Biden prompted local federal agencies to start voter registration for individuals visiting their offices.
Chaffetz also recounted a letter from Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse to the IRS, suggesting immediate audits of those associated with the conservative group Turning Point USA.
He emphasized the relentless appetite for personal information. Even in states typically seen as “red,” such as Florida, DMVs sold drivers’ personal data to these brokers, with specifics like height and weight included. This practice ceased under Governor Ron DeSantis.
The book highlights numerous instances where private citizens and nonprofits faced banking difficulties because of information available about them. For example, J.P. Morgan Chase rejected the National Committee for Religious Freedom, and PayPal has frozen accounts for individuals like Dr. Joseph Mercola, a critic of COVID-19 policies.
Two interconnected issues arise here. First, government entities that exploit purchased user data to discriminate or target individuals. Second, the question of whether there should be a “right to be forgotten,” allowing individuals to request the deletion of their information held by companies.
Billions depend on firms like ClearView AI, whose facial recognition technology is banned in places like the EU and Australia but is still widely accessible to various U.S. law enforcement organizations.
When asked if these practices can be stopped, Chaffetz replied, “The genie is out of the bottle.” He insists that legislative action is necessary to establish a “right to be forgotten” akin to that of the EU.
Chaffetz and the hosts concurred that as artificial intelligence advances and intrudes more into personal lives, concerns about privacy online are escalating. The adage “If the service is free, you are the product” will carry even greater significance, unless there are restrictions on how personal data is utilized by the government and the profits made by companies.
As William F. Buckley famously said, “The government can do something to you, so you can’t do anything proportionately for you.”
