Two influential lawmakers from opposite parties have agreed on legislation that would strengthen privacy protections for Americans’ data.
The sweeping proposal announced Sunday night would define privacy as a consumer right and create new rules for companies that collect and use personal data. It comes from the offices of Washington state Sen. Marie Cantwell, a Democrat, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, a Republican.
Cantwell is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and McMorris Rogers is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. While the law has not yet been formally submitted and is still in draft form, bipartisan support signals it may receive significant consideration.
Congress has long debated how to protect the personal information that Americans regularly provide to a variety of companies and services. But partisan disputes over the details scuttled earlier proposals.
The legislation, authored by McMorris Rogers and Cantwell, would strengthen rules requiring consumer consent before a business can collect or share certain types of information, according to a one-page summary released Sunday.
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Companies must inform consumers about the details of their data collection and retention policies and obtain consumer consent to make material changes.
Additionally, companies must ensure that the algorithms used to analyze personal data are unbiased, and companies that buy and sell personal data must register with the Federal Trade Commission.
Users also have more control over how their data is used during measurement. One provision of the proposal would give users the ability to opt out of receiving targeted ads, that is, H. ads sent based on their personal information.
A new Privacy Office will be created within the FTC, which will have the authority to set new rules as technology advances. Both the FTC and state attorneys general are responsible for enforcing the law.
If passed, the new standard would override most state privacy laws, but would not affect some state laws already in place that protect financial, health or employment information.