Algorithmic Accountability Act Introduced in House and Senate

Sens Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) introduced the Algorithmic Accountability Act, which requires companies to study and fix flawed computer algorithms that result in inaccurate, unfair, biased or discriminatory decisions impacting Americans. The Algorithmic Accountability Act would:

• Authorize the Federal Trade Commission to create regulations requiring companies under its jurisdiction to conduct impact assessments of highly sensitive automated decision systems. This requirement would apply both to new and existing systems.
• Require companies to assess their use of automated decision systems, including training data, for impacts on accuracy, fairness, bias, discrimination, privacy and security.
• Require companies to evaluate how their information systems protect the privacy and security of consumers’ personal information.
• Require companies to correct any issues they discover during the impact assessments.

The obligations in the bill only apply to companies that are already regulated by the FTC and that make more than $50 million per year. However, data brokers or companies that have data on more than 1 million consumers or consumer devices are covered, regardless of their revenue.

The bill is endorsed by tech and civil rights groups, including Data for Black Lives, the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law and the National Hispanic Media Coalition