If you are thinking of suicide, please call 988. For resources on eating disorders, please visit: nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/.
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members tasked with addressing what happens to the vast amounts of user data collected by big tech companies say national privacy standards are “long overdue,” especially for children and teens. I think it's an opportunity.
Lawmakers on a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will meet Wednesday to hear from advocates and online safety experts on a series of data privacy bills that are garnering rare bipartisan and bicameral support. heard.
The 10 bills discussed by six witnesses and members of the Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee would regulate how data is collected and stored, allow users to opt out of algorithms, and prevent minors from using the internet. This is to ensure protection against
The hearing comes after widespread bipartisan support for a bill that would force popular video platform TikTok to split from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. The bill passed the House in March by a vote of 352-65.
“Today, we are at a crossroads,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers. She said: “Either we continue down a dangerous path where companies and criminals continue to collect vast amounts of data in the wild, or we give people the right to control their information online.”
Washington State Lawmakers Unite
Washington Republicans' debate draft of the U.S. Privacy Rights Act was the focus of Wednesday's hearing.
The bipartisan bicameral proposal, introduced with Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), would reduce the amount of data companies can collect, regulate data brokers, and allow users to access their own data. It would allow federal trade authorities to request removal. Commissions and state attorneys general to enforce policy.
Putting the burden on consumers to read “notice and consent” privacy agreements “just doesn't work,” said Frank Pallone of New Jersey, ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
“Data minimization, in contrast, limits the amount of personal information that a business collects, processes, retains, and transfers to only what is necessary to provide the product or service that a consumer requests. Pallone said, praising the provisions of the U.S. Privacy Rights Act.
Rogers said this “foundational” bill protects minors and prevents “a small number of companies and bad actors from exploiting our personal information, monetizing it, and manipulating the way we think and behave.” It will establish national standards to quell modern forms of digital tyranny.” ”
Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, the subcommittee chairman, said a single national standard would “preempt a patchwork of state laws, even when consumers and businesses cross state lines.” It creates consistent rights, protections and obligations.”
Seventeen states have enacted their own privacy laws and regulations, and 18 other states are actively pursuing various bills, creating a “complex landscape of state-specific privacy laws,” it said. Katherine Kuehn, National Technology's chief information security officer in residence, testified. Security Coalition, cybersecurity advocacy group.
“Anxiety as data”
Other proposals the panel discussed included updating the Children and Youth Online Privacy Act of 1998, co-sponsored by Michigan Republican Rep. Tim Walberg and Florida Democrat Kathy Castor. Ta.
The bill aims to prohibit advertising targeted to children and adolescents, prohibit internet companies from collecting data from 13- to 17-year-olds without their consent, and prohibit internet companies from collecting data from 13- to 17-year-olds without their consent if the data is stored or transferred outside the United States. is to require direct notification.
Eva Smithing, of Nashville, Tennessee, told the committee that she spent her teenage years on Instagram, and the body image issues and eating disorder that developed after repeated exposure to targeted content. .
“Companies' ability to track my engagement, such as how long I looked at a photo, revealed what kept me engaged and my own insecurities,” she testified.
“They stored my insecurities as data and linked it to all my other accounts on the internet. Guessing what I would “like” led me to bikini ads, exercise videos, diet tips, and finally eating disorder content. “Said.
“Big tech companies have failed.”
Mr. Bilirakis, along with fellow Indiana Republican Rep. Erin Houchin, Washington Democrat Kim Schrier, and Mr. Castor are sponsors of the similarly named Kids Online Safety Act.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we know that major technology companies have failed to prioritize the health and safety of children online, resulting in significant increases in mental health conditions, suicide, and drug overdose deaths. We have heard it over and over again in each district,” Bilirakis said.
Bilirakis' bill would outline a series of harms to children under 17 and require major technology and video game companies to mitigate those harms. The bill also aims to strengthen protections for parents on platforms and commission a study of age verification options.
A companion bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, and Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee.
Sameer C. Jain of the Center for Democratic Technology told a House committee that some proposals, including the Kids Online Safety Act, “while well-intentioned and pursue important goals, raise several concerns.” Stated.
“Laws that restrict access to content because government authorities deem it harmful can harm youth and raise serious constitutional concerns,” the freedom group said in a statement. said Mr. Jain, the Vice-President in charge.
“Furthermore, requirements and strong incentives to require age verification systems to identify children often require further data collection from both children and adults, thereby violating privacy and There could be problems,” Jain testified.
However, Jain called for greater transparency in the algorithms employed by large data companies, which “process data in ways that perpetuate or exacerbate discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, gender, religion, and disability.” He praised the provision of the US Privacy Rights Act that prohibits the use of Whether you are a Black person looking for a job, a woman seeking a loan to start a business, or a disabled veteran looking for housing, your status remains the same. ”
During the Q&A, Bilirakis asked each panelist, “Yes or no, do you think now is the best chance to get something done on comprehensive data privacy?”
All witnesses answered “yes.”
Meta, the company that operates Instagram, did not respond to a request for comment.
Get the morning headlines delivered to your inbox
