SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Digital rights groups are cautiously welcoming a bipartisan data privacy bill first reported on June 3, 2022. (Image: Getty Images)
Advocates Offer Cautious Praise of New Digital Privacy Bill in Congress
Fight for the Future's Evan Greer welcomed the legislation while warning that "we cannot allow Big Tech lobbyists and their buddies in the Senate to use this to delay a vote on antitrust bills."
Jun 03, 2022
Digital rights advocates on Friday cautiously welcomed news that congressional lawmakers have agreed to advance a bipartisan, bicameral data privacy bill while reaffirming the need for antitrust legislation to truly tackle Big Tech monopoly abuses.
"To say that it's high time for real progress on a federal privacy bill would be a tremendous understatement."
The bill, entitled the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, would establish a national standard governing internet companies' collection of user data. The measure would empower users to opt out of targeted advertising and to sue companies that improperly sell their personal information. It would also ban data-driven advertisements targeting children, among other reforms.
Evan Greer, director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, said that bill "seems like a good-faith effort" while implying that she will reserve judgment until after she's read the legislation.
"What we know for sure right now," she tweeted, "is that we cannot allow Big Tech lobbyists and their buddies in the Senate to use this to delay a vote on antitrust bills" S. 2992 and S. 2170, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and Open App Markets Act.
"We need to address Big Tech monopoly power AND privacy abuses," Greer asserted.
According to Politico, which first reported the deal:
The bill released Friday includes agreement between Republicans and Democrats--for the first time--on two areas that have blocked previous efforts: whether a federal privacy law can preempt state laws and whether individuals should have the right to sue companies that illegally share their data or use it in ways the law prohibits.
House Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the authors of the new privacy bill, said in a statement that, "this bipartisan and bicameral effort to produce a comprehensive data privacy framework has been years in the making, and the release of this discussion draft represents a critical milestone."
The advocacy group Free Press Action (FPA)--which along with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law released model privacy legislation in 2019--noted that "for years, civil liberties, digital rights and racial justice groups like Free Press Action have argued that data abuse disproportionately targets and impacts populations already experiencing rampant racism and discrimination in housing, banking, employment, education, and other sectors."
In a statement, FPA co-CEO Jessica J. Gonzalez said that "to say that it's high time for real progress on a federal privacy bill would be a tremendous understatement."
"The country sorely needs Congress to create protections against the exploitation and discrimination caused by companies' unfettered collection, buying, selling, sharing, and outright abuse of people's most personal information," she continued.
"We've only scratched the surface in our review of the full draft released today," Gonzalez added. "Based on that preliminary look we're very pleased with the structure and coverage of the bill."
Josh Golin, executive director of the advocacy group Fairplay, said that "we are pleased that many top priorities to create a safer internet for children and families are included in the draft comprehensive privacy legislation released today."
"Most notably, the bill would ban data-driven advertising to children under the age of 17," he continued. "Surveillance advertising not only allows marketers to target young people's greatest vulnerabilities, but it fuels a system that manipulates children and teens into spending too much time online and exposes them to harmful content."
"We are also glad to see additional protections for children and teens," Golin added, "including the establishment of a division of Youth Privacy and Marketing at the Federal Trade Commission. While there are areas that should be strengthened, the draft provides a good framework."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Digital rights advocates on Friday cautiously welcomed news that congressional lawmakers have agreed to advance a bipartisan, bicameral data privacy bill while reaffirming the need for antitrust legislation to truly tackle Big Tech monopoly abuses.
"To say that it's high time for real progress on a federal privacy bill would be a tremendous understatement."
The bill, entitled the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, would establish a national standard governing internet companies' collection of user data. The measure would empower users to opt out of targeted advertising and to sue companies that improperly sell their personal information. It would also ban data-driven advertisements targeting children, among other reforms.
Evan Greer, director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, said that bill "seems like a good-faith effort" while implying that she will reserve judgment until after she's read the legislation.
"What we know for sure right now," she tweeted, "is that we cannot allow Big Tech lobbyists and their buddies in the Senate to use this to delay a vote on antitrust bills" S. 2992 and S. 2170, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and Open App Markets Act.
"We need to address Big Tech monopoly power AND privacy abuses," Greer asserted.
According to Politico, which first reported the deal:
The bill released Friday includes agreement between Republicans and Democrats--for the first time--on two areas that have blocked previous efforts: whether a federal privacy law can preempt state laws and whether individuals should have the right to sue companies that illegally share their data or use it in ways the law prohibits.
House Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the authors of the new privacy bill, said in a statement that, "this bipartisan and bicameral effort to produce a comprehensive data privacy framework has been years in the making, and the release of this discussion draft represents a critical milestone."
The advocacy group Free Press Action (FPA)--which along with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law released model privacy legislation in 2019--noted that "for years, civil liberties, digital rights and racial justice groups like Free Press Action have argued that data abuse disproportionately targets and impacts populations already experiencing rampant racism and discrimination in housing, banking, employment, education, and other sectors."
In a statement, FPA co-CEO Jessica J. Gonzalez said that "to say that it's high time for real progress on a federal privacy bill would be a tremendous understatement."
"The country sorely needs Congress to create protections against the exploitation and discrimination caused by companies' unfettered collection, buying, selling, sharing, and outright abuse of people's most personal information," she continued.
"We've only scratched the surface in our review of the full draft released today," Gonzalez added. "Based on that preliminary look we're very pleased with the structure and coverage of the bill."
Josh Golin, executive director of the advocacy group Fairplay, said that "we are pleased that many top priorities to create a safer internet for children and families are included in the draft comprehensive privacy legislation released today."
"Most notably, the bill would ban data-driven advertising to children under the age of 17," he continued. "Surveillance advertising not only allows marketers to target young people's greatest vulnerabilities, but it fuels a system that manipulates children and teens into spending too much time online and exposes them to harmful content."
"We are also glad to see additional protections for children and teens," Golin added, "including the establishment of a division of Youth Privacy and Marketing at the Federal Trade Commission. While there are areas that should be strengthened, the draft provides a good framework."
Digital rights advocates on Friday cautiously welcomed news that congressional lawmakers have agreed to advance a bipartisan, bicameral data privacy bill while reaffirming the need for antitrust legislation to truly tackle Big Tech monopoly abuses.
"To say that it's high time for real progress on a federal privacy bill would be a tremendous understatement."
The bill, entitled the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, would establish a national standard governing internet companies' collection of user data. The measure would empower users to opt out of targeted advertising and to sue companies that improperly sell their personal information. It would also ban data-driven advertisements targeting children, among other reforms.
Evan Greer, director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, said that bill "seems like a good-faith effort" while implying that she will reserve judgment until after she's read the legislation.
"What we know for sure right now," she tweeted, "is that we cannot allow Big Tech lobbyists and their buddies in the Senate to use this to delay a vote on antitrust bills" S. 2992 and S. 2170, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and Open App Markets Act.
"We need to address Big Tech monopoly power AND privacy abuses," Greer asserted.
According to Politico, which first reported the deal:
The bill released Friday includes agreement between Republicans and Democrats--for the first time--on two areas that have blocked previous efforts: whether a federal privacy law can preempt state laws and whether individuals should have the right to sue companies that illegally share their data or use it in ways the law prohibits.
House Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the authors of the new privacy bill, said in a statement that, "this bipartisan and bicameral effort to produce a comprehensive data privacy framework has been years in the making, and the release of this discussion draft represents a critical milestone."
The advocacy group Free Press Action (FPA)--which along with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law released model privacy legislation in 2019--noted that "for years, civil liberties, digital rights and racial justice groups like Free Press Action have argued that data abuse disproportionately targets and impacts populations already experiencing rampant racism and discrimination in housing, banking, employment, education, and other sectors."
In a statement, FPA co-CEO Jessica J. Gonzalez said that "to say that it's high time for real progress on a federal privacy bill would be a tremendous understatement."
"The country sorely needs Congress to create protections against the exploitation and discrimination caused by companies' unfettered collection, buying, selling, sharing, and outright abuse of people's most personal information," she continued.
"We've only scratched the surface in our review of the full draft released today," Gonzalez added. "Based on that preliminary look we're very pleased with the structure and coverage of the bill."
Josh Golin, executive director of the advocacy group Fairplay, said that "we are pleased that many top priorities to create a safer internet for children and families are included in the draft comprehensive privacy legislation released today."
"Most notably, the bill would ban data-driven advertising to children under the age of 17," he continued. "Surveillance advertising not only allows marketers to target young people's greatest vulnerabilities, but it fuels a system that manipulates children and teens into spending too much time online and exposes them to harmful content."
"We are also glad to see additional protections for children and teens," Golin added, "including the establishment of a division of Youth Privacy and Marketing at the Federal Trade Commission. While there are areas that should be strengthened, the draft provides a good framework."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.