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For Immediate Release
June, 03 2022, 05:17pm EDT
Contact:
David Monahan: david@
Fairplay Statement on New Bipartisan Comprehensive Privacy Draft Legislation
WASHINGTON
Today, a bipartisan group of top lawmakers in both chambers of Congress reached a long-awaited deal on comprehensive privacy legislation. Below is the statement of Josh Golin, Executive Director of Fairplay:
"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. 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, 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 urge Congressional leaders to work with stakeholders to improve this draft and quickly move legislation to the finish line. Every day of Congressional inaction leads to more children being harmed online."
Fairplay, formerly known as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, educates the public about commercialism's impact on kids' wellbeing and advocates for the end of child-targeted marketing. Fairplay organizes parents to hold corporations accountable for their marketing practices, advocates for policies to protect kids, and works with parents and professionals to reduce children's screen time.
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Before the end of the year, the Trump administration is planning to eliminate up to 35,000 healthcare jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a chronically understaffed agency that has already lost tens of thousands of employees to the White House's sweeping assault on the federal workforce.
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