Online privacy
Legislation to Reform Section 230 Reintroduced in the Senate, House
US Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with US Representatives Kathy Castor (D-FL) and Mike Levin (D-CA), reintroduced the "Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploitation, Threats, Extremism and Consumer Harms (SAFE TECH) Act" to reform Section 230 and allow social media companies to be held accountable for enabling cyber-stalking, online harassment, and discrimination on social media platforms. Specifically, the SAFE TECH Act would force online service providers to address misuse on their platforms or face
Groups Urge FCC to Provide Consumers with Easy-to-Understand Privacy Labels
The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) joined the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) in calling for the Federal Communications Commission to provide broadband consumers with easy-to-understand, accessible notices of broadband providers’ data practices.
Durbin (D-IL), Blumenthal (D-CT), Hirono (D-HI) Introduce Bill To Protect Children's Online Privacy
As the collection of personal information by internet companies is encroaching more and more on the privacy of every American, US Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and US Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) introduced legislation to strengthen online privacy protections for children when websites collect their personally identifiable information.
Sens. Schatz (D-HI), Thune (R-SD) Reintroduce Legislation To Strengthen Rules, Transparency For Online Content Moderation, Hold Internet Companies Accountable
US Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and John Thune (R-SD) reintroduced the Internet Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (Internet PACT) Act, bipartisan legislation which updates the Communications Act of 1934 by requiring social media companies to establish clear content moderation policies and holding them accountable for the content that violates their own policies or is illegal. There is widespread bipartisan agreement that social media platforms have inconsistent and opaque content moderation practices due to a lack of accountability.
FCC Looks to Help Domestic Violence Survivors Access Connectivity
The Federal Communication Commission proposed rules to implement key provisions in the Safe Connections Act to support survivors of domestic abuse and other related crimes seeking to maintain critical connections with friends, family, and support networks. These proposed rules would help survivors obtain separate service lines from shared accounts that include their abusers, protect the privacy of calls made by survivors to domestic abuse hotlines, and provide support for survivors who suffer from financial hardship through our affordability programs.
Cybersecurity High-Risk Series: Challenges in Protecting Privacy and Sensitive Data
Federal systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks. The GAO has made 236 recommendations in public reports since 2010 with respect to protecting cyber critical infrastructure. Until these are fully implemented, federal agencies will be more limited in their ability to protect private and sensitive data entrusted to them. In September 2022, GAO's review of 24 agencies found that most had generally established policies and procedures for key privacy program activities.
Rep. Duncan (R-SC) Re-introduces TELL Act to Protect American Data from the Chinese Communist Party
Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) introduced H.R. 742, the TELL Act (Telling Everyone the Location of Data Leaving the US Act), to protect American data from the Chinese Communist Party. This legislation allows the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to endorse rules that allow Americans to know if their data has been compromised by China and if it is being stored, transferred, or exposed to China or companies owned by the Chinese Communist Party.
FTC Enforcement Action to Bar GoodRx from Sharing Consumers’ Sensitive Health Info for Advertising
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken enforcement action for the first time under its Health Breach Notification Rule against the telehealth and prescription drug discount provider GoodRx Holdings Inc., for failing to notify consumers and others of its unauthorized disclosures of consumers’ personal health information to Facebook, Google, and other companies. In a first-of-its-kind proposed order, filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the FTC, GoodRx will be prohibited from sharing user health data with applicable third parties for advertising purposes, and has agreed to pa