Looking ahead to a new Congress next year, a group of 15 Senate Democrats is cooking up a big new data privacy plan that is meant secure the personal information online. Privacy activists have already signaled their approval with the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) signing on to help refine the proposed bill.
Colin Lecher filed this report in The Verge:
The Data Care Act, proposed by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and more than a dozen co-sponsors, including Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), would create new rules around how companies that collect user data can handle that information.
Under the act, data collectors would be required to “reasonably secure” identifying information, to not use that information in a harmful way, and to give notice to consumers about breaches of sensitive information. The requirement extends to third parties, if the data collectors share or sell that data with another entity, and the plan would also give the FTC new authority to fine companies that act deceptively with users’ data.
The proposal is one of a handful, as Congress looks for the best way to regulate the tech industry. Related pitches have been made by lawmakers including Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who proposed a bill in the fall that would jail executives who mishandle consumer data.
