US Senator Revamps Bill To Include New Agency To Enforce Data Privacy Laws

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants to beef up privacy regulation and has rolled out a new version of her Data Protection Act, Vox reported.

The measure would put a new government agency in charge of regulating and enforcing privacy laws. That encompasses both the current laws and any directives that are passed in the future, according to Vox.

Gillibrand said, per Vox, the bill is an attempt to crack down on the ability of Big Tech to be “free to sell individuals’ data to the highest bidder without fear of real consequences, posing a severe threat to modern-day privacy and civil rights.”

“A data privacy crisis is looming over the everyday lives of Americans, and we need to hold these bad actors accountable,” she said, according to Vox.

The proposed Data Protection Agency would be tasked with regulating and enforcing data protection laws if the bill passes, Vox reported.

In addition, the bill would ban some data usage practices that are deceptive or discriminatory, according to the report. It would also prohibit re-identifying users from de-identified data.

And with the new version of the bill, the agency would also end up looking into mergers that could pose privacy risks with data transfers of upward of 50,000 users, Vox reported. Those reviews would be sent to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to see whether the mergers would be allowed to go through.

Earlier this year, Virginia lawmakers supported laws that would regulate digital consumer privacy protection in the state.

Del. Cliff Hayes (D-Chesapeake) said at the time that the idea behind the bill is to make sure consumers know what data is being collected about them.

“The consumers should have the right to know what is being collected about them,” Hayes said when introducing the bill. The data protection act enables people to get a copy of their online data.