Plaid has submitted its comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for the Personal Financial Data Rights Rule, emphasizing the importance of consumer control over financial data. Plaid advocates that individuals, not institutions, should have unrestricted access to their data without tolls or barriers, highlighting that this aligns with Congressional intent as outlined in Section 1033 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act. The company supports the notion that consumer-authorized third parties should be considered "representatives," allowing trusted technology providers to securely access data. Plaid urges the CFPB to ensure consistent and secure standards through reliance on GLBA Safeguards and encourages the transition to APIs to reduce screen scraping while maintaining consumer access. This rulemaking process presents an opportunity to strengthen open finance, ensuring that all Americans have access to financial tools and services, with Plaid committed to working with regulators and partners to ensure secure and reliable data access.