WASHINGTON – Bipartisan lawmakers on Sunday unveiled new legislation that would create the first-ever national standards for data privacy. The move comes as a growing number of Americans are raising concerns about the way social media platforms and other companies deploy information.
The bill would transform how social media companies and online search engines use consumers' personal data, giving Americans more control.
The proposal, called the U.S. Privacy Rights Act, would, if passed, set standards for how companies like Meta, TikTok, and Google would collect, use, and sell user data needed to provide their products and services. It will be mandatory to collect only a certain amount.
It would override the state's patchwork of data privacy laws and allow consumers to sue companies that violate the rules.
The proposal would also allow users to opt out of having their data transferred to other companies, and would require platforms to allow users to change, delete or export their information.
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The bill was introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Catchy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.). This bill represents the most significant advance in data privacy regulation at the federal level.
“This bipartisan, bicameral bill is the first in decades to establish national data privacy and security standards that give people control over their personal information,” Cantwell and McMorris Rogers said in a joint statement. It's the best opportunity of the year.”
“Americans have a right to control their data, and we look forward to our colleagues in the House and Senate signing this bill.”
A Pew Research Center report released last year found that about 77% of Americans have little or no trust that social media company leaders will be held accountable if they misuse their data. Understood. Additionally, 78% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans say there needs to be more government regulation on how companies can handle consumer information.
But for years, lawmakers have been unable to agree on a bill that would give Americans greater privacy online. The 2022 proposal collapsed over opposition from California Democrats, including then-California House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
That's not the only reason the bill faces an uphill climb. McMorris Rodgers is due to leave Congress in January, giving lawmakers a short grace period to pass legislation in a contentious election year known for its difficult legislative challenges.
The United States lags behind other countries in protecting user privacy, and the European Union enacted comprehensive regulations on the use of personal data in 2018.
The proposal also comes as the Senate considers a House-passed bill that would force TikTok's parent company to sell the social media app or face a virtual ban in the United States. Ta. The move has been fueled by national security concerns over the company's relationship with the Chinese government.