Congress may finally see eye-to-eye on data privacy

The Future. Congress is getting closer to formally introducing federal data-privacy legislation, with a bipartisan bill moving through committee. It would supersede the piecemeal state approach that has left companies scratching their heads. With strict user-data privacy inevitable, expect companies to start rolling out more direct, transparent forms of data collection in order to know their customers.

Copy, paste, delete
According to The Verge, user data may finally get some federal protection.

• The House Energy and Commerce Committee held its first hearing on a bipartisan bill called American Data Privacy and Protection Act yesterday.
• It would allow Americans to “access, correct, and request deletion of any personal data companies have collected on them.”
• The bill would force the Federal Trade Commission to define what personal data is actually necessary for companies to collect.
• It would also ban companies from targeting anyone under 16 for advertising and force platforms to conduct annual algorithm reviews.
• Additionally, Americans could sue platforms if their rights have been violated.

Privacy is the new black
It looks like this bill has the best chance in years to break the partisan logjam (Republicans aren’t fans of state privacy protections, while Democrats have hammered for a private right of action), with committee chair Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) saying, “This proposal is the first serious, bipartisan, bicameral, comprehensive national privacy bill that directly confronts the sticking points which derailed earlier efforts.”

And the bill couldn’t come at a better time. The White House has put data privacy high on its priority list, the desire to protect American users from foreign companies is forcing real change, and even the biggest tech CEOs (such as Apple’s Tim Cook) are all itching for the government to rip off the Band-Aid already and pass something.