This week, Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) reintroduced the Data Protection Act, a bill that would create a new federal agency to regulate large tech companies.
The proposed Data Protection Agency would oversee how businesses utilize consumer data. Government regulators would be able to audit and review decisions by tech organizations such as large mergers, major data exchanges, or biometric information gathering.
The agency would also look for ways to protect children online—a concern at the forefront of data protection policy. Equipped with the authority to penalize organizations for misusing or unlawfully gathering data, the organization would be one of the largest cybersecurity developments the US has ever seen.
The policy follows the lead of many other countries around the world. Most notably, in recent years, the European Union has implemented increasingly stricter guidelines on how user data can be collected and utilized.
Bipartisan support for data protection and antitrust laws has been an ongoing theme this year, but party leaders have not yet decided if an agency is necessary. Either way, Americans can likely expect more data protection policy in the coming years.
If you have any questions about how to make your data more private, please contact us today!
