Third Try For Federal Data Privacy Act

A bill to protect people’s privacy when their data is collected by big tech companies went nowhere when it was introduced in 2018 and again in 2019, but it has been re-introduced in the senate this year and the sponsors are cautiously optimistic. Known as the Social Media Privacy Protection and Consumer Rights Act, it would force companies to allow people to opt out of tracking and collection. If a person does opt out, the companies are free to deny access, but some companies would find that difficult. For example, Google does not require someone to be logged in to perform a search, and untracked users can still be served ads. State legislatures have begun introducing their own bills, and Facebook has called for federal privacy regulations to simplify compliance. If the bill passes it will be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and states’ attorneys general.