Kabuki may finally be coming to an end. “The sweeping proposal would give consumers, for the first time, broad rights to control how their personal data is used by tech companies like Google, Meta, and TikTok, and would create national online privacy protections,” the Post said. “This is a major advance in the decades-long fight to implement it.” ” The U.S. Privacy Rights Act, proposed by Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), would create uniform data collection standards. make, “Gives users the right to opt out of certain data practices, including targeted advertising.” , people will be able to access and delete their data and transfer data between digital services.” This bill preempts some, but not all, state laws enacted on related issues. become. (The Spokesman-Review reports that the proposal would not preempt any specific state laws related to “civil rights, consumer protection, contracts, or more than a dozen other topics.”)
Perhaps most notably, the bill would eliminate the broad immunity from lawsuits that these companies have enjoyed, adding that “if a company does not comply with data deletion requests or The point is that it allows individuals to sue in cases where consent cannot be obtained.
But data privacy issues are just one of many important technology topics that are drawing the ire of voters and politicians alike.This latest proposal is won’t deal with it Other Big Tech misdeeds include: Damaging the mental health of minors, addictive and radicalizing algorithms, voting and health disinformation, deepfakes and undisclosed AI manipulation, hate speech, and TV ads. Anonymous political advertising exempted from targeted regulations, monopolistic tactics that reduce competition. It will not address TikTok’s Chinese ownership. (The House passed a bill on this issue, but the Senate has not advanced it.) Those are still serious problems, some perhaps even worse than the ones the bill targets. (Bills on many of these topics have stalled.)
However, if you have to start a parliament, where This bill is a promising start to breaking down the impunity with which internet companies have operated. Microsoft praised effort.of The Open Technology Institute, which operates under the auspices of the center-left think tank New America, also called the effort “a necessary pillar of a sound privacy law: strong data minimization principles; ” was included. Online civil rights protection. Universal opt-out. Private Right of Action. Privacy rights, including the ability for users to view, correct, export, delete, and opt out of the sale or transfer of their data. ” However, the institute noted that current efforts do not include strong child privacy measures when compared to proposed legislation in 2022. (The co-sponsors are interested in “addressing both children’s online safety and national data privacy,” Bloomberg Law reported.)
It is by no means certain that this complex bill, which effectively pits the interests of many tech companies against the interests of consumers, will pass the most dysfunctional Congress in history. Even under the best of circumstances, this can be a daunting task. But considering a Republican House that can’t even vote on the Ukraine bill and a Senate full of filibuster-wielding assholes like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) who are happy to pose as murderers. , the probability of defeat is high. About the left-wing conspiracy to disadvantage conservatives on social media. Additionally, Congress’ fall schedule will be shortened due to elections, leaving little time to pass even the bills that need to be passed.
That said, the privacy proposal includes several elements. First, it’s complex enough to minimize MAGA hyperventilation. Topics that get into the weeds of complex issues often fly under the radar of right-wing media. Their bold and attractive goals, such as banning abortion, falsely invading the southern border, and cutting off aid to Ukraine, are more about their speed. Second, who doesn’t agree with “privacy”? It has the appeal of Mom and Apple Pie, a comforting tactic that MPs with low workloads can promote from home. Finally, bipartisan disdain for tech companies has reached new heights. So both sides have an interest in pointing out what they’ve done to protect the American people from billionaire CEOs who take pleasure in tongue-lashing.
If at least two MPs (McMorris Rodgers is retiring) care about good governance and invest their time in the policy weeds, voters should celebrate that.If Congress can get it. something Once work is completed on this front, it will likely facilitate reforms in other areas as well. It would be a welcome victory against Big Tech, which is notorious for resisting any regulation.
