2LT International News

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Late last week, Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell and Republican and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers agreed on a deal on draft bipartisan data privacy legislation restricting the collection of consumer data by technology companies and enabling Americans to prevent the sale of their personal information.

Under the agreement between Cantwell, chair of the Commerce Committee, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, individuals can control the use of their personal information and require disclosure if data has been transferred to foreign companies.

“The deal will give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys-general broad authority to oversee consumer privacy issues and establish robust enforcement mechanisms to hold violators accountable, including a private right of action for individuals,” the two lawmakers said in a joint statement.

The bill does not ban targeted advertising but allows consumers to opt out. Under the bill, the FTC will form a new bureau on privacy and can issue fines for privacy violations, which would also cover telecommunications companies.

“This bipartisan, bicameral draft legislation is the best opportunity we have had in decades to establish a national data privacy and security standard that gives people the right to control their personal information,” Cantwell and Rodgers said.

People can opt out of data processing if a company changes its privacy policy under the new bill and can sue “bad actors who violate their privacy rights and recover money for damages when they have been harmed,” they added.

They further added that it will also prevent “companies from using people’s personal information to discriminate against them.”

The bill would require “annual reviews of algorithms to ensure they do not put individuals, including our youth, at risk of harm, including discrimination.”